Moving Black Friday Up A Week Could Save Thanksgiving

Consumerist ^

[SMGFan]

We don’t know when the warm water finally started to boil, but it’s safe to say that Black Friday now begins shortly after dinner is served on Thanksgiving. But rather than continue to fight this trend, we think that the only way to restore Thanksgiving is to have Black Friday sales begin a weekend earlier.

More precisely, we’re proposing that all those doorbusters either begin on the Friday night or early Saturday morning the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Here’s why: It’s Inevitable Walmart and Target and all the other early-openers would not be throwing open their doors on Thanksgiving night if they weren’t making money. This means that for all the people who complain about Black Friday Creep, there are enough people lining up at all hours of the night in the hope of getting their hands on a few, deeply discounted items. And now that Thanksgiving night sales are becoming the norm, good luck trying to get this lion back in the cage. Some retailers have already dipped their toes into this water with “Pre-Black-Friday” sales. Back in 2009, Sears went so far as to declare Halloween weekend as “Black Friday,” but that was too soon and Sears is no longer the retail industry trendsetter it once was. The real test will be when a major retailer opens up Thanksgiving morning. We imagine it will be a success, and if so, you’ll soon see Wednesday night, then Tuesday, etc. This gradual process would likely take several years and just inflame ill will on both sides of the debate. We say it’s best just to avoid that civil war and move forward with the healing.

[SMGFan]

When stores open 8pm , many employees will arrive at work as early as 6pm. I cannot many of them head to work after being with family considering they will until 4 or 5am. Many may sleep by noon .

[Huskrrrr]

I thought the sales began the day after Halloween?

[freedumb2003]

Is that like when Kiss saved Christmas?

[VanDeKoik]

Just another example at how we’ve turned the holidays into a sham. Now you cant even enjoy Thanksgiving with your family if you work in these places because you have to be there for the Honey Boo Boos at 8:00!

[freedumb2003]

>>I thought the sales began the day after Halloween?<<

I am expecting Christmas music and holiday sales next July 5.

[dfwgator]

Black Friday is evil. I refuse to have anything to do with it.

[SoFloFreeper]

“Save” it for what? I hope this isn’t referring to the economy.

The citizens’ chance to save the economy came last Tuesday. They chose to double down on an economic idiot instead of picking someone who had proven himself in the private sector.

I’ve already trimmed about $250 a MONTH from my budget and am looking to stop spending more...the federal government and the mouth breathers who cheered the re-election of the WORST Oval Office occupant to ever get a second term can take their greed for my money and shove it.

We’re living in Jimmy Carter’s third term on steroids. And I am thankful for my God, His Son Jesus Christ and salvation, His Spirit and Word...and for my loving family....I have all of those.

I’ll do my best to just “sit out” for another 2 to 4 years, and starve the Government Beast as much as possible.

[KC_Lion]

That would be funny if it wasn't so true!

I have started seeing Halloween ads, IN AUGUST!

I also noticed last year, the day after Halloween I went to the store and they had CHRISTMAS music playing, that happened so fast I got holiday whiplash.

Being scary and spooky the day before and then jump right in the middle of Christmas?

I was crestfallen, but now I know why. They want to get rid of Thanksgiving.

[bgill]

Why not move it to July 4th?

[shadeaud]

I did this year’s Christmas shopping on line the last week of December 2011. Remember, it’s the thought that counts ( just make sure you enclose the gift receipt so I can get rid of that dumbass tie)

[linn37]

It started when the economy went bad and they had to work harder to get those that will spend in the stores before anyone else. Personally I’d rather pay more then get in a line with some of these shoppers.

[Buckeye McFrog]

Years ago a now-defunct retail chain floated the idea of opening up their stores on Thanksgiving.

They floated the idea on a conference call of store managers. After the proposal they asked “so, what do you guys think of that?”

After a long silence, one store manager from Michigan piped up and said “Well G*d Dammit, you’ve gotta draw the line somewhere!”

The outcome being that he was dragged into HR and told he’d be fired if he didn’t cool it on the conference calls. And they were open for business that Thanksgiving.

[KarlInOhio]

The odd thing about black Friday is that I generally only shop for myself that day. I set up a budget for family members and getting something below budget just means I'll get another item on top of that, and I'm not going to stand in line or wrestle an Indian man for a hard disk* for a family member. I will do it for myself, though.

*Actually we both just blindly reached the bottom shelf to see if they still had one. I grabbed the only one left first and he looked at me sadly hoping that wasn't the one I wanted. It did remind me of the Festivus episode on Seinfeld: "Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son. I reached for the last one they had, but so did another man. As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way."

[MissMagnolia]

Remember, it’s the thought that counts ....

Which is why a lot of folks are only getting happy holiday 'thoughts' from me this Christmas ...

[discostu]

Black Friday is Black Friday because it’s the day after Thanksgiving, a day a good chunk of the populace (especially the chunk with good paying jobs) has off and also lack familial obligations. The only way to move it is to move Thanksgiving, which kind of defeats the purpose.

[DoughtyOne]

I’m not convinced this Black Friday is going to be the boon they seem to think it’s going to be.

Twenty three million citizens out of work, aren’t going to be spending as much money as they used to.

Another ten to twenty million not making what they used to on top of that..., good luck happy faced planers.

I’m thinking this Black Friday will be pale gray at best. It may in fact be bleached out white.

[discostu]

Actually it started LONG before the economy went bad. Black Friday used to be about all day sales, then in the late 90s the door busters (limited supply super discount sales) started, since then Black Friday has become more and more about the door busters. The fact is that by the time reasonable people get out of bed Friday morning Black Friday is over. You can head to the stores at noon and it will be a basically normal crowd. The door buster rush is all over in the first 2 hours, which means the stores want to get that rush before everybody else, which causes the hops.

[Mercat]

I have to admit that I did shop on line last year but didn’t like what I ended up with. I never leave the house if I don’t have to. Scary out there.

[AmusedBystander]

Black Friday is not government mandated, so conservatives should not try to interfere with a day developed by free enterprise and their consumers. If grandma wants to prohibit her family members from shopping she can withhold the pumpkin pie.

I bet most grandmas are waiting in the car for the sales at midnight, though.

[heartwood]

I’m working Thanksgiving because I’m a nurse.

I won’t shop on Thanksgiving because unless there’s a job that needs doing 24/7, people should be free to be home with their families. Maybe some people want to escape their families?

I’m not shopping Black Friday, except maybe online, because crowds and mob consumerism give me the willies.