As someone who typically ends up frustrated on Black Friday, I must admit that I couldn't help but check many of the Black Friday "leaks" that have been bombarding the Internet. It's like pressing a button that says "DO NOT PRESS!" I just can't help it.
Apparently, though, I'm not the only one. Google data shows that the "upswing" for Black Friday searches started two weeks earlier this year, according to an article in the Advertising Age. Meanwhile, the number of shoppers who plan to get their Christmas shopping started on Black Friday rose to 16 percent this year from 10 percent last year, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers (there's an International Council of Shopping Centers?).
Still, some are projecting Black Friday to be just that — black. Nielsen, the NPD Group and the National Retail Federation have all released buzz-killing predictions as far as sales. I'm no economist but I don't need to sleep at a Holiday Inn last night to figure out why. (As Bill Clinton once so eloquently put, "It's the economy, um, you not-so-smart person!")
Meanwhile, Retrevo's Director of Content Andrew Eisner is predicting many "mediocre deals" masquerading as Black Friday bargains. These include discounts that aren't as big as they seem to be and the pushing of outdated items.
Now, one can't fault someone for thinking Eisner's comments may have to do with Retrevo promoting its own product and pricing analysis (not to mention its Black Friday Real-Time Resource Center). Still, I know from personal experience that the man actually has a point. Fortunately, Google and the entire Interwebs is your friend so you can do your due diligence in researching products before pouncing on a deal.
As for me ... well, while I'm always tempted to line up in the cold with complete strangers just for a chance to get a good bargain, the reasonable person that resides in the little room in my mind always steps up in the end and tells me that it's better to go to bed and sleep on these things instead. Still, I understand the allure of the ever-powerful Black Friday deal. What about you?
Photo by Jason Hidalgo
Comments
“2 items per store”, limited quantities”, etc. It’s been a scam since the Cabbage Patch days. I HATE the fact that everyone now tries to get their bottom line in the last 6 weeks of the year, Xmas be damned !!
@riggarob
You’re certainly not the only one who feels the same way.