The weekend following Thanksgiving has become an infamous retail event. After the ovens cool and leftovers are stacked neatly in containers, millions of shoppers flock to the malls for blowout sales. Black Friday, as it is widely known, has recently started bleeding into Thanksgiving day and though the numbers speak for themselves, not everyone stands behind the trend.
Some stores open the gates for doorbuster deals as early as 5 p.m. Thursday. Many consumers resort to camping out several days in advance to ensure they receive a slice of the pie.
According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), more than 141 million shoppers, up from 139 million in 2012, took part in Black Friday and the days immediately following. The average consumer spent $407.02 and total spending was estimated at $57.4 billion.
“Cold weather, unique promotions and unbeatable prices put millions of Americans in the mood to shop for holiday gifts this weekend,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “Retailers late night and early morning promotions struck just the right chord for those hoping to kick off the holiday shopping season with friends and family. With only a few weeks until the big day, retailers will continue to aggressively promote their in-store and online offerings, looking to entice today’s very budget-conscious and value-focused shopper,”
Occasionally, the allure of a good deal enlists consumer frenzy. Though nothing of major significance popped up in the greater Puget Sound area, #walmartfights was trending on Twitter, due to the number of violent altercations over sale items. Black Friday casualties are nothing new. In 2008, the New York Times reported the death of a man, Jdimytai Damour, who was caught in a stampede of shoppers.
Mandi Smith, owner of Persnickety’s Awesomeness Emporium on Main Street in Sumner, said she is boycotting any company that elected to open on Thursday.
“Everyone wants to make a buck and everyone wants to save a buck,” she said. “But those deals are coming at a big price. Only so many people will come. Only so much money will be made. I won’t be shopping on Thanksgiving because I’ll be spending time with my family. And I won’t frequent any business that places a dollar over what the day should really be about – being thankful. I ban them all. They are forgetting about the people.”
Smith isn’t alone, most local businesses in the area elected to play down the Black Friday phenomenon and instead place more focus on Small Business Saturday.
Small Business Saturday is a campaign started by American Express, to encourage consumers to frequent locally owned companies. Smith said Persnickety’s Small Business Saturday Sale far surpassed the one she had on Black Friday and the day has proven to be very fruitful for her business.
“It’s like Black Friday and Small Business Saturday had a hypothetical baby,” Smith said. “The deals (were) amazing and it’s just a great event. We all become buddies and I get to pass on savings without taking away from the holiday.”
For more information about Small Business Saturday, please visit their website.
