Today, I came across this article, posted on Consumerism Commentary and there were a few things that struck me like,
There is a reason retailers have jumped on the Black Friday bandwagon, offering discounts galore for a limited time: coupons plus holiday hype is very successful for encouraging more people to spend money. Overall, the more you involve yourself with coupons and deal finders, the less money you’ll have in your bank account. This is not frugality. In some cases, the most you could say is that this is smart spending, but in most cases, coupons encourage people to make worse decisions about their spending. Ever worse, it encourages more contemplation of spending.
Overall I agree with his stance that Black Fridays sales are the direct opposite of being frugal but I was also remembering that people actually died trying to purchase Chinese goods are rock-bottom prices.
Now I’ve heard it said, that as a species, we’re becoming dumber and dumber, and after seeing Ms. Teen South Carolina 2007, I’m inclined to believe what I hear, but what the hell has happened to people? So with that in mind, here are some survival rules / manner suggestions for Black Friday shoppers.
Ok for survival rules, there’s only one: DON’T GO! Resist the temptation to be a good little slave…er consumer and stay home. You don’t need to go out and be a sucker for someone else’s loss leader.
But if you’re going to go and shop, remember the spirit of the holidays. The focus should be on family and not rampant materialism, especially to the point of trampling someone to death. Everything you get in life that is really worth something cannot be purchased in a store, you’re family, children, health, mind etc. So certainly it’s not worth it to get worked into a frenzy over saving a few cents on anything. It’s all about manners people–pushing bad m’kay.
Be safe these holidays and treating everyone with respect is a grand ole tradition.
Go back to Frugal Living Home, or go back to Frugal News
Comments on this entry are closed.