The stores are closed here, but the shopping orgy continues online. I figured, if you can’t beat them, why not join them?
Black Friday, the day after American Thanksgiving is the biggest shopping day of the year in the U.S. In the last 20 years or so it has spread into Canada, becoming such a big deal it has replaced Boxing Day (December 26) as Canadians’ favorite shopping day.
I have generally ignored the appeals to shop in the past, but this year I gave in to the bombardment of ads and algorithms. Well, at least I thought about it. I fully intended to spend some money today.
Black Friday is all about deals, incredible prices that are too good to ignore. In theory anyway. And maybe the deals were there, but not for the things I wanted.
I will admit I looked at televisions. A relative just got a new TV, twice the size of the one I bought about 15 years ago. I’ve watched a few shows on this new one, and I must admit it’s impressive. A better picture than the one I own, and the huge size is impressive. So I went online looking for Black Friday deals.
I decided I wanted the same model as the one I had been watching, and I indeed did find it on sale. But the sale price was only $50 off, less than a 10 per cent discount. Is that a deal?
Given that there is nothing wrong with my television, I passed. The one I have is big enough; I shouldn’t let myself be seduced by size.
I also looked at cordless vacuum cleaners. I’m not sure why, except for the fact people rave about the convenience. The family vacuum cleaner is only about five years old and works well. Still, it would be nice to not have to unplug the cord every time I change rooms.
There are many types of cordless vacuum cleaners on the market, almost as many as there are televisions. I figure at my age though I want the top of the line machine. As you get older you appreciate quality.
There was a Black Friday deal on that particular model. The same sale price I saw two months ago in a store flyer. Twenty per cent off doesn’t have me abandoning the vacuum cleaner I already own that works quite nicely.
And so it went. Every time I looked at an item I thought I wanted, I didn’t want it at that price. The discounts just weren’t deep enough. Yes the thousand-dollar coffee machine looked like a good deal – but I don’t drink coffee.
I also realized that what I was dealing with was a bunch of wants. There was nothing on the list that I needed. Which makes me a bad Black Friday shopper.
The whole idea behind Black Friday is to create a shopping mentality. Merchants want to convince people they must have whatever is on offer – and try to make sure they don’t think about whether they really need what they are about to purchase.
So, as another Black Friday draws to a close, once again I have no new possessions to show off. I’m definitely okay with that.
Did you buy anything today? Did you get a good deal? Leave a note in the comments.
random thoughts from lorne 
I’ve bought nothing today. Looking at one online flyer reminded me all the deals, such as they are, are stuff they want to sell me. Usually it’s stuff I actually want or need that has me looking. And I’ve heard the way some stores create bargains is to have Black Friday merchandise manufactured with fewer features or lower quality. So, who knows?
Your passing on the grotesquely large TV and the slightly newer vacuum suggests Scottish ancestry just like me. In Scotland I think it’s called sensible.
I haven’t been tempted by black Friday or Boxing day sales for many years. I used to be a fervent bargain hunter.
I’m at an age when I have everything, and more, that I need. In addition, I found things that I bought, years ago during those bargain sales, not used, not given away, and out of style. Soon, all these will be left behind for my kids to clean up, given to Mission Thrift stores, sold for pennies to the dollars that I paid for, or thrown out.
On cordless vacuums, my husband does all the vacuuming. So we gave up our Kirby and replaced with Hoover and Shark cordless vacuums. Dyson cost 3-4 times more than Shark, but they are not necessarily 3-4 times better, from our family members’ experience. So far Shark cordless worked well for us, especially if they are on sale at Costco.