Are Black Friday Sales Worth the Effort to Shoppers?

It is Thanksgiving day. You have to be careful not to eat too much turkey. It could cause you to sleep right through the Black Friday sales at all of those stores. These sales begin at 5:00 am or so and last until the middle of the morning and sometimes the middle of the day. Some even get a jump on Black Friday and offer special deals late on Thanksgiving Day. Others have a follow up the following Monday with special electronics sales.

The purpose of Black Friday is not to create dangerous stampedes at discount and department stores, but to give retailers an opportunity to turn the year into guaranteed profitability with a single day of huge shopping. It has always worked. Balance sheets move from red to black. This is where the name “Black” Friday is derived.

So, shoppers line up outside of their favorite store to wait in the cold for the doors to open. Some choose twenty-four hour stores where they can go inside and stake claims to certain areas to be the first hands on the pile of goodies. The stores are crowded with shoppers who are a little to zealous and far too tightly packed together.

Carts can become barriers to the rapid shopping needed to scoop up the bargains. Tempers can flare. Frustrations can build to the breaking point. Many shoppers end up with more than they wanted and sport huge smiles as they exit.

It is not uncommon for groups of shoppers to form. With the use of phones and other communications devices, multiple fronts can be manned simultaneously. One shopper grabs several of widget one while another moves to get widget two and so on. These shoppers then converge at a common point to exchange the booty. Nearly everyone in these shopping blitzers gets what they want.

The downside is that you have to rise before the chickens after a long holiday of eating, football, and family. If your intent is to buy a $5 crockpot, you will not find this event fun or even worthwhile. Those who really enjoy this type of event do not have to live to shop. It needs to be made into an event.

Some of these groups of shoppers make a morning of it. They will shop for a couple hours at the first big event. After that, they will head off to breakfast and coffee at a favorite haunt. The group will usually then break up to head off in the direction of other Black Friday events that interest smaller portions of the larger group.

If you intend to buy enough to need a large truck to get it home, these Black Friday events are custom made for you. Even after battling the crowds, the savings can be enough to offset the headaches. Most Black Friday savings are the best of the season. It is not unusual for the prices available at these sales will not be equalled for months even on technology items.

The key is to do your homework and be ready to be in the store where your item is offered in time to make the purchase. If you are late, have a plan “B” to move to immediately so that you do not waste your trip. Plan on using the rest of the day to finish up as much of your holiday and Christmas shopping as possible.