Plain And Simple–Boycott Black Friday
When I went to my front stoop this morning to pick up the papers I was left wondering how many trees had to be cut for Madison residents to receive the countless ads that were included with the Wisconsin State Journal. In fact, the paper notes on the banner “hundreds of pages of holiday ads inside’. All the colorful ads made the plastic wrap around the paper bulge. I can only assume my delivery person had a very long morning getting things prepared for today’s route.
On the front page of The New York Times was a color photo of people camped out in front of a Texas Best Buy store in anticipation of buying a TV for $200.00. I am assuming that their families will not miss them at the dinner table today.
Every year at this time it seems I write about one of the saddest looking events that dominates our society. Days before Thanksgiving there is a never-ending stream of news stories about Black Friday, and the national economy. All day Friday every news cast will be dominated by shoppers who rush ahead of others, and are all stressed out over not getting that item which was drastically reduced for sale at 2:00 A.M. Too many lives are driven at this time of year by everything except the real reason for the holidays.
In the past on this blog I have written about my disgust with stores that open early to make more money, along with people seeming to care more about shopping like wild animals than sharing time with those around the dinner table. While I know that my views on this matter are in the minority, I am also aware that every year there is a growing number who share my perspective, and are pushing back on the senseless over-commercialization of the holidays.
Last year, just to make sure that I was not being too hard on something I had never experienced, I was at a large store when it opened for Black Friday. It was something I will not forget, nor repeat.
At 12 midnight James, Rolf, and I experienced our first black Friday shopping experience. The idea was not to buy but to see others foam and stampede. After seeing this all happen on TV each year I wondered how crazy might it look up close.
The question was where could we go to get the whole experience?
It did not take us long to know that there was no better place to see the spectacle than at Walmart.
Last night at midnight when the store started allowing sales to be made there was an announcement. “Shoppers may start cashing out at the front of the store”.
There was no “Good Morning” or “Happy Holidays”. Instead it was ante up to the registers and open your wallet.
Gag.
More and more this year I have been heartened by the tone coming from many who express concern about something wrong in the nation when the lust for buying, along with the greed from merchants runs smack dab over a national holiday.
It’s ironic that a holiday born amid scarcity and premised on appreciation for blessings already received has morphed into the opening act of an orgy of acquisitiveness, the gateway to an entire season spent scrambling to buy things we don’t need and can’t afford. Odder still is the fact that so many of us bemoan this fact yet hop on the treadmill anyway, convinced that we have no choice but to spend the next 30 days exhausting ourselves and our bank accounts in an endless quest for more stuff.
Perhaps this Thanksgiving is an opportunity to challenge that conventional wisdom. By staying home tonight, and refusing to patronize retailers who fail to respect one of our most beloved holidays, we can strike a small blow against the crazy-making trends we typically lament to no avail. We can do our part, however modest, to observe Thanksgiving as it was meant to be observed: as a day of rest from labor, unhurried fellowship with loved ones and gratitude to God for blessings not sold in stores.
Smokey 3 regarding corp greed – we, the Lemmings, buy what the corps have convinced us we cannot live without (ever watch ‘in the kitchen with David’ on QVC? It’s not about what the customer wants, it’s about what the corps want to sell us. Ex: Think you can buy the car you want? Try again.
Yes, corporate greed that the corporate media buys into and promotes as they are making millions from it off of the advertising.
Sure Black Friday may provide what a lot of people want, really good sales. But, those good sales do not have to be held, even on Thanksgiving, so as to take away from good traditional American family gatherings and the greater value that comes from those quality times. People want drugs too and drug dealers also create jobs, sometimes much better paying. That does not mean that we should encourage drug use. Prostitutes also give their customers what they want.
Again, I am thankful for a good leader, who with his wife, has been a good family values person and whose wife cares about the well-being of the next generation. I just wish that he was a better one and stood up to Wall Street corruption and not, like his predecessor, support bank bailouts.
Corporate Greed ? They are giving their customers what the customers wan – so who is greedy? t… And those “nasty” corporations are providing jobs for Americans. Can’t fault a corporation for that!
Wow ! We have a leader in the White House ? What happened to Obama ?? He was living there (and doing little else other than apologizing for Americans??? ) the last I knew.
Good column, Deke.
It’s disgusting that stores are opening now even on Thanksgiving. I hate it when I see stores open on holidays depriving their employees of good quality family time together. Corporate greed is what is destroying America, not “this administration”.
I am thankful to that we have a leader in the White House with good family values and a First Lady who is trying to save our children from unhealthy eating that leads to so much heart disease and diabetes.
If it’s all about the stores making a profit, then why do we have a Black Year? We have been “conditioned” into thinking we need that crap.
Stores can and will always make money. We are now in the habit of just buying anything, whether we need it or not. Just buy what you need, Buy from local stores, and second hand stores. Buy your groceries at food co-ops.
What’s next, Black Halloween? Why not? Sheeesh!
George,
I have written about Allen Drury on my blog in fhe past.
http://dekerivers.wordpress.com/2008/09/25/allen-drury-would-end-washingtons-bailout-crisis-with-some-congressional-leadership/
I was reading Drury in grade school, have read and own his complete ‘Advise and Consent’ series, and have them featured on the top of one of my bookshelves along with some other memorable reads from the past decades.
Thanks for writing, but I think we will just have to disagree about the greed factor that has hijacked a national holiday. I want my country to be better than what is displayed at stores today.
IF you don’t want to shop on Black Friday, then don’t.
But people are doing it to save money or to get deals on Christmas presents early.
They have the right to shop as much as you do NOT to shop.
And I notice the book to the right on your reading list.
Perhaps what you should do is read Drury’s entire series beginning with Ådvise and Consent, including The Politics of Joy, which foreshadowed much of what is going on with this administration and a leader who continually appeases and puts down this country.
Drury had great insight on what was and is happening in this country and his writing is missed.
I couldn’t agree more. I made the mistake one time of going to a big box store at 7 Am on Black Friday, figuring as long as the store had been open since 5 AM it would be safe to do that. Lesson learned? Don’t run out of milk and bananas on Thanksgiving !! As I worked my way through the aisle to the milk case, I was amazed to see two women fighting over a handful of socks… Was it the last few pairs on sale ? No, it was a handful from one of the 3 huge pallets of socks that were available that day – thousands and thousands of pairs.
I must have stopped momentarily to gawk at the scene, because I experienced a sharp pain in my left leg and as I was slammed by a shopping cart, was told by a rather large and mean looking, red faced woman who in a very loud voice told me to get the H*** out of her way.
I grabbed a gallon of milk, headed for the front of the store grabbing a bunch of bananas on the way, worked my way to the end of one of the 12 items or less checkout lanes, and finally made a hasty retreat to the safety of my truck, vowing that I would never again shop on Black Friday. I’m happy to report that I have never since been forced by hunger to have to do that, and have a great deal of sympathy for anyone who does…