See on Scoop.it – Awakenings: America & Beyond
Sale! Sale! Sale! Everywhere…Sale! Sale! Sale! Save! Save! Save! In the news, on TV, on the Internet, on the radio, no matter where you turn somebody somewhere has posted a sign…Sale! Sale! Sale! Come on in! Come on down! HOT deals today! Save 10%…20%…30%… MORE!
Sharla Shults‘s insight:
BUT, what makes this ‘salebration’ any different from any other sale? Are the deals any better? The savings any greater? The items offered for sale on sale of any higher quality? Is anything NOT on sale for sale?
See on awakenings2012.blogspot.com
catnipoflife 
You know, there are some AMAZING deals out there. Like, Dell has a really cool Android tablet for $129 … NICE. But I don’t need a tablet. In fact, if I got one, I can’t honestly see what I’d use it for, given what I do and what I already own. I don’t need another camera and any of the lenses after which I am lusting are much too expensive, even on sale. So I am online window shopping. I wouldn’t go anywhere NEAR a mall. Oh, and we actually are having COMPANY tomorrow. It’s been so long since we had company, I’m not sure I remember the basics!
Yes, the stores opening at 6 PM on Thanksgiving is getting ridiculous. There were people packing the parking lots already when I was heading home from having Thanksgiving with friends. Every year the stores open earlier. I agree there are some amazing deals, but I don’t know what I’d do with the stuff either. Husband and I are getting up way early though to go to Staples. They’ve got a great little lazer printer on sale for $29, regularly about $120. It’s small, fast, and makes great copies. My lazer printer still works, but it’s pretty old. I’ve had it at least 15 years, maybe longer. It’s a Dell. I love Dell products.
Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving.
Sunni
It’s ridiculous that these stores are making some of their employees forfeit their own Thanksgiving holidays to go to work. I imagine some don’t mind, but the almighty dollar isn’t that crucial. I worked with a woman many years ago who made it a point to show up at Wal-Mart every morning the day after Thanksgiving. I told her she needed help. It’s sad that people are fighting to get into a store to buy things after supposedly giving thanks for what they already have.
There are people for whom a little extra holiday pay IS the difference between making it and not … There are a fair number of people who are happy — grateful — to work on holidays because they don’t have a family. Or don’t celebrate the holiday. Everyone should be able to decide for him/herself what’s best for them, don’t you think?
Much of the economic problem could be solved if some companies pay their employees a living wage and stop providing hefty bonuses to their executives, especially when the company doesn’t do well in a fiscal year. Many Wal-Mart associates, for example, have to rely upon food stamps to supplement their incomes. While some of them are definitely glad to have a job and work whenever they can, there’s also the cost of transportation and child care. And, I’m certain not all of them happily volunteered to work on Thanksgiving Day. Believe me – I’ve been there! Not at Wal-Mart. But, I’ve been in work-related situations where I wasn’t given the choice. People often work too damn hard for their money.
My husband has a small retail business. He hates this time of year as it makes Thanksgiving no longer an enjoyable time but rather a time he frets over not being open. It makes it so hard on small businesses who do not have hordes of employees who cannot juggle staying open 24 hours a day 7 days a week. No longer is Thanksgiving a time of reflection or of gratitude in this country but rather it is now simply seen by the ” barons of retail” as a small technicality to their hawking the American people for all they’re worth. No longer are friends and families allowed time to celebrate our country and of the many blessings this great Nation of ours has procured over the years, but rather everyone needs to be at work, to open at outrageous hours day and night, as people line up trampling over one another fighting their way inside to snap up buying things that they don’t need to survive nor need for true happiness—I can assure everyone that the big businesses are still making profits as the American consumer is being duped by “black Friday” —Pope John Paul II constantly chided the West for its wanton lifestyle of consumerism, greed, and materialism living a life for things, rather than for the love of its fellow man…it all just makes me so sad…
I have never shopped on Black Friday. I don’t like fighting crowds, or vying for a parking space, or being jostled and shoved around. However, I used to be the location manager for Santa
Claus and that was a big day for my company. So I’ve been out with the multitudes on that day–just not to shop.
I live alone. I have all the toys I want or need. My family & friends have all agreed, as adults, that we won’t exchange gifts at Christmas. As a result I pick my spots to buy things I know people will enjoy. It might be a spontaneous pickup of a restaurant tab for someone or treat them to fancy coffee, tea or French pastry. That way I can give all year. Black Friday/Thursday/Saturday and cyber Monday are all marketing ploys to separate you from your money. They’re not giving anything away as retailers all claim 70% of their yearly income comes during the holiday season. That is, except from me. 🙂
LOL I forgot it was Black Friday – and the Sales going on AAAAALLLLLL over the place… at least ONE Salesman was looking forward to the sales – but deep inside he was terribly scared to end up as flat as a stamp by the herds of super-sale-addicted women stampeding through the store. LOL But from what I heard his day was quite good.:-)