Mourning Lost Mayhem
I assumed (wrongly, perhaps) that in the era of "everything analytics" brought to you by the "big data" revolution, anecdotal accounts of Black Friday in America would eventually be passé. 24 hours later, I expected to see definitive sales numbers. Instead, I was greeted by unenthusiastic accounts of "muted" consumers.
For social critics like myself, the Saturday after Black Friday is a time to reflect on America's consumption addiction, which famously manifests in fist fights around the count
It is odd to feel nostalgic for the madness that was black Friday. I only participated once, but my wife and her family enjoyed the hunt. It’s not surprising though to see this “tradition” disappear. All the retailers are trying to get a head start with their sales. I’ve been seeing “black Friday” deals available for weeks.
I think the other factor is how cheap many of the former big ticket items have gotten. Good TVs used to cost closer to a grand, so getting half off was a great deal. Now you can get a 50 inch TV for a couple hundred bucks. For computers and phones, Apple is what everyone wants, but they don’t offer any sort of material discounts. Doorbusters just ain’t what they used to be.
I happened past an outlet mall yesterday and there were lines snaking around buildings.
Agree, there’s a definite lack of doorbusters.
If the hot item is 50% off some $250 earbuds, it doesn’t seem worth lining up for. 50% off a Camry, I’ll be there with my tent
H’s post would be a great voice-over for a documentary montage of all images he presents here. I read it again while the film ran in my head. There’s an implied mood. How would the closed captions characterize the accompanying music?
I cleaned gutters on Black Friday.
H-Man, as you inferred, the consumer is getting tired.
I think buyers have grown somewhat wary of Black Friday “deals.” I poked around yesterday to see if anything caught my eye and noticed the portable SSD hard drive I bought for $153 in July was on sale (ehem) for $185. One retailer even had the audacity to offer it “at 41% off” for $149!
Those flush savings may be running low?
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/nearly-half-americans-earning-more-180000203.html