Black Friday

We are now just emerging from the post-Thanksgiving stretch when we give in to being even bigger consumers than usual. Personally, my shopping was not anything to speak of, but I can’t deny that I felt my eyes and ears going on the lookout in case anything came up that would just be too good to pass up.

And maybe that is part of the appeal – the idea that there could be something out there that is not only a good purchase but is so good that you would be foolish not to purchase it. After all, even if some consumers start to think they don’t need to shop on Black Friday, there still exists the idea that they are going to remain astute enough to grab even better can’t-miss deals at another time.

It is also kind of amazing to think that the dawn-hour opening times so associated with the day are a relatively recent phenomenon. Something about getting those deals has just built up so large in our mind in no time, though (and if you’re curious about the history of the day, read here.)

So maybe that is another part of the appeal, the idea that you are engaging in something special on a larger level – be it Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, or Giving Tuesday.

And hey, has no one laid claim to Sunday yet? There must be something in there someone can do along the lines of “While everyone else finishes sleeping off their Thanksgiving meals (leftovers included) on the couch while watching football before dragging themselves to back to work tomorrow, come buy a TV” that could late on.  Though maybe someone needs to work on the wording a little bit.

Overall, there is no single piece of magic that one can point to behind these days. It is a time of year when people have to shop, and merchants are trying to find ways to get a bigger piece of that spend. At its core this is not different than any time of year, there is just more money up for grabs. So, businesses try what they can, embrace what works, evolve to try to be even better, and ideally reap bigger rewards. It just seems bigger on these specific days because, well, what they do works.

Maybe there is really a business lesson then – embrace the things that take off and give in to them. 

And I’m telling you, that Sunday idea is bound to, feel free to use it.

Warmly,

Josh Bousquet
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