Monday, November 23, 2009

Why I Don't Shop on Black Friday

Black Friday is an annual event for retailers to entice consumers into stores with special, low price deals that aren't offered any other time of year. Every year, I enjoy reading about the great deals I could get. And every year, I enjoy staying home and avoiding the mad rush. Here are my reasons for not shopping on Black Friday:

  • 4:00 AM is too early to rise. I'm not getting early on to go shopping. To me, it seems ridiculous to lose several hours of sleep for a chance at a good deal. When I was working, Black Friday was a holiday. Now, I'm retired and every day is a holiday:-) I'd rather get the sleep time.


  • If I needed it, I would have already bought. I follow a principle of buying only what I need. A great sale price does not change an item from the "not needed" category to the "needed" category.


  • Limited quantities mean I won't be in time. A lot of the great deals often have a disclaimer such as "limited quantities, minimum of (single digit) per store." Thus, only the first few customers wanting to buy the item will get it, meaning my chances are a like a lottery.
    • So this year, as with previous years, I will be sleeping and missing all the great deals from retailers.

    For more on Strategies and Plans Ideas, check back every Monday for a new segment.

    This is not financial or shopping advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

    Copyright © 2009 Achievement Catalyst, LLC
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    Posted by Super Saver at 7:40 AM

    3 comments:

    r&b said...

    Same here. It excites me that there are deals out there, but you wait in line forever, get up really early, and buy things you wouldn't have bought anyway. I think it's great if you needed something.

    11/23/2009 3:50 PM
    Edwin said...

    I agree completely, those deals may be enticing but restrictions on quantity or waking up at ridiculous hours put them in my "not gonna happen" list.

    The only time I benefit from this shopping season is if they have good deals with no restrictions and preferably online. This season for example I hope to finally upgrade to an HDTV.

    11/25/2009 6:14 PM
    the shoppe owner said...

    My mom used to drag me to stores on black Friday when I was about ten and over. We used to get "such great deals" on... crap.

    As an adult, I've never gone black friday shopping. Not only because I haven't really had the money to purchase anything that I really wanted, but mostly because it just isn't right to me. I hate that the holy days of Christmas have become so commercialized.

    However, if I am ever a homeowner, There may come a day when I am tempted to snag "a really great deal" on a washer and dryer set, or something like that if I can manage to actually wake up early enough and if there are actually enough to go around. I really only think that the big ticket items that are marked down are the only ones that MIGHT BE "worth it". Anyway.

    12/01/2009 1:29 PM

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