they picked black friday as buy nothing day?

good luck.

(Reply) (Thread)

Um, that's kind of the point.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

You know, this is the first year that I've heard the day after Thanksgiving refered to as "Black Friday" and I have a real problem believing that the term was coined by capitalists. I posit that the term was actually coined by anti-capitalists and that the "in the black" bit is all a back-formation. For references, I cite Black Monday through Thursday, as well as the other Black Friday from 1869.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

Wait, so you can't believe that the word "black" can be anything but a negative term?

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

Ok, so I cited:

• Black Monday: In 1987, Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 22.6%, followed by large drops around the world. Can also refer to a Monday in 1929 associated with the beginnings of the Great Depression
• Black Tuesday: The date seen as the beginning of the Gread Depression.
• Black Wednesday: I admit I don't really understand what happened, it was a bad thing for the Pound.
• Black Thursday: A stock market crash also associated with the start of the Great Depression.
• Black Friday: A financial panic caused by efforts to corner the gold market and ham-fisted efforts to counter.

Now, all of those seem to be bad things for the economy, and it seems a bit odd to me that people would call the day after Thanksgiving "Black Friday" and expect it to have the opposite connotations of every other "Black" day. I suppose the retail explanation is somewhat plausable, though.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

Hmm. I always miss this "holiday", as I never actually "shop." Is this when the sales start for Christmas? Why are people completely insane?

Also, do you do the whole Giftmas thing? Mostly online? mostly amazon?

(Reply) (Thread)

I think it has to do with support.

You get a lot of support for it. Some people like crowds, and like doing the same thing as a zillion other people. It provides a communial experience they otherwise lack, perhaps. There are millions of other people doing the same thing you are, and it's reinforced as a positive - there are discounts, meaning you're sharing the American value of "getting a good deal," you're buying presents for other people, meaning you're being "selfless," and you're also spending money, which "helps the economy," another core American value.

So for a lot of people, I suspect it's a communal positive action, something they don't get very much of in their lives.

It's also the only day they've got off that isn't a weekend before Christmas, so it's a bonus day that you can spend getting a bunch of stuff taken care of all at once - you hope. ^_^

Me - I stay home, laze around, finish cleaning up from the big Thanksgiving event, and draw, or maybe read. This year, I did my solstice card art. I'm pleased. ^_^

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

Plus, there's nothing quite like the thrill of running a shopper to ground.

It's not quite monkey-versus-gazelle, but we make do with what we have.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

I remember when I was three or so demanding a "real" cabbage patch kid, and my grandmother was too intimidated by the crowds to get me one on christmas eve (when they were put on the shelves), and so she made me one. Wench that I was, I cried. I like to think I've improved since age 3.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

I had a similar experience. My parents professed to have made some attempt at getting the real thing, although i doubt it was significant. Some lady at the office was making knock-offs, and my sister and i got one of those. Rather anti-climactic, altho our lack of appreciation was not quite like yours!

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

after thanksgiving, the only major holiday left to shop for is xmas. (or hannukah, but retailwise they're one and the same).

so stores tend to have their first christmas holiday season sales on that day. and since a lot of people (besides those who work for the stores, of course) have the day off, more people take this as the first opportunity to start their holiday shopping.

does anyone else think it's disturbing/amusing that WalMart starts its sales day with the sound of a siren?

/me wishes i could escape xmas...

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

The news here said that the crowds of shoppers were lined up at THREE IN THE MORNING.

*Sigh*

(Reply) (Thread)

It's quite obvious to me this woman was not ready for her shopping adventure.

It is a pity that she was unprepared, but I don't see why that should have bothered Wal*Mart, or the other customers. It's sort of a capitalist evolution. Weaker shoppers must die for the betterment of all.

Now, I must go and slay the unsupervised children of aisle 14.

(Reply) (Thread)

http://money.cnn.com/2003/11/29/news/companies/blackfriday_results_update/index.htm?cnn=yes

apparently wal-mart did disgustingly well.
I think the headquarters needs a bomb dropped on it.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

'Tis the season to be moshing. :-/

(Reply) (Thread)

I've had to break up fist fights over bleach, bottled water, and batteries during hurricane scares. I hate the holidays.

(Reply) (Thread)

It's rabid capitalism, Charlie Brown!

(Reply) (Thread)

"We are very disappointed this happened," Burk said. "We want her to come back as a shopper."

"...we will rebuild her. Stronger, faster, and with an eye for our low, low prices. We have the technology."

(Reply) (Thread)

All bow to the temple of capitalism.

(Reply) (Thread)

This would have been a lot funnier had it happened at Nordstroms.

(Reply) (Thread)

ON HOLD...

The premium for a hospital run IF she had insurance
is more than 29.00!!!

They offered to HOLD the DVD player for her.
She was still on it. That is sturdy enough right there!!!

I would have crawled to Automotive or somewhere, LESS FRENZIED, but no!!! She held her ground, and they won't give her the damn thing.

FUCK WAL-MART... and AD Busters ( they sell sneakers.... bah )

/alexavier

in a FRENZY himself

(Reply) (Thread)

I don't get the fucking point. I mean, for the first time really some friends showed me the fliers and while I'll admit that $20 or so for a 120 gig HD is pretty nice I'm not waking up before noon to fucking get one. Let alone fighting the massive crowds. Really, why in the fuck would someone go to a store at 6am on one of the few days when they might actually have a day off? Hell, why wake up before 10 or 11 or just sleep past noon like a reasonable person.

(Reply) (Thread)

Apparently trampling = record profits.

(Reply) (Thread)

This woman's claims might be fake.

(Reply) (Thread)

Oh wow, that's beautiful! That's the only thing that could have made this story better! "You thought you hated people before! Well how about now!"

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)