For those of you who don’t know, “Black Friday” is the day after American Thanksgiving. This year it will be November 25. Black Friday marks the start of the Christmas shopping season in the United States, and it kicks off with massive sales (and usually a couple of trampled people). It’s like Boxing Day in Canada, when we see huge discounts the day after Christmas. But recently, Canadian retailers have jumped on the Black Friday bandwagon, offering similar discounts on this side of the border. It’s a smart move, as I’ve noticed that a lot of my friends are not driving over the border to Niagara Falls or Buffalo, New York to catch the deals.
Someone asked me today what I planned to buy on Black Friday. I replied, “Nothing, I don’t need anything. Stuff can’t be that cheap.” He mentioned that Red Flag Deals, one of my favourite bargain hunting websites, had a Black Friday Deal page set up already. I cannot tell a lie: I looked tonight. And now I’m hooked. I’ve been watching the store icons light up with links to the deals. I’ve been checking the email account that I set up for shopping newsletters and coupons. Geez, I’m starting to twitch already. I need to shop! I’m not even sure what to buy, and this is the problem–I’m falling into the trap. The trap of glitzy signs in store windows and flashy advertisements that have arrived in my mailbox. I have the good fortune (or is that misfortune?) of working next door to a major shopping centre and that creates a lot of temptation for me. But as the DH says, “Just because it’s on sale, doesn’t mean you have to buy it.” So stay tuned, folks. I hope I can resist the urge to buy things that I don’t need!
Update: Here’s a blog post by Miranda Marquit that asks the question, “Is Black Friday a Good Time Investment?“
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