Why I Hate Black Friday

November 19, 2018

I admit it. I am a huge fan of Dr. Suess’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The original animated classic from 1966 narrated by Boris Karloff, that is. It is truly one of my holiday favorites, along with Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol; specifically the 1999 TV movie version featuring actor Patrick Stewart as Ebenezer Scrooge. Yes, I do own them both on DVD, and they come out of their cases each year right about the same time I trot out my favorite pumpkin pie recipe for Thanksgiving.

♫♪♪ ♫♪ You’re a mean one… Mr. Grinch! ♪♫♪♫

Based on this introduction, you might get the idea that Christmas is not my favorite holiday. That’s not true. It’s not the holiday that I hate. It’s all the needless, crazed, (over) spending that takes place, not to mention all of the “noise, noise, noise noise” (advertising), to quote my holiday hero, Mr. Grinch. Nor am I anti-capitalist. I love capitalism. I just love it in a calmer, more controlled, responsible way.

So, why my disdain for Black Friday – the day after Thanksgiving; the Super Bowl of shopping days? Here are a few reasons:

  • Low inventory of “deals,” or sometimes only one at that great Black Friday price.
  • Retailers who mark stuff up just to mark it down.
  • All of the pushing, shoving, and generally rude shopper behavior.
  • You probably have the day off (unless you work retail). Why get up so darned early on your day off?  (Unless you are going fishing).
  • Perhaps most importantly – getting ensnared by the sales hype can become a budget buster!

People get so caught up in the momentum that budget discipline often goes out the window, credit balances soar, and the New Year is considerably less happy when those bills start showing up. Last year, for instance, Americans on average ran up more than $1,000 in additional credit card debt due to holiday shopping. Worse, almost one third of them estimated they would be still paying for the gifts they bought well in to May.

Bah. Humbug. 

So, what are some alternative things to do instead of shopping, getting trampled, stressed out, and blowing your budget before you’ve enjoyed that last leftover turkey sandwich?

  1. Do absolutely nothing. It’s Friday AND a holiday. Enjoy the time off. You’ve earned it. (I plan to be fishing that day).
  2. Ring a bell next to a kettle. Help serve some meals. Feel good by doing good.
  3. Go camping. Unless you live where it snows (make a snowman?). I live down South, and November is perfect camping weather!
  4. Get a massage. No stress there.
  5. Get a head start on next year’s budget/financial plan/insurance review, etc. You’ll have it out of the way and you can enjoy the rest of the holiday season without that little voice in your head nagging you about how much you’ve neglected your personal finances. A good place to start is by requesting a free copy of your credit report from annualcreditreport.com.

Make regifting great again

I’m not suggesting we alienate friends and family and do away with holiday gifts altogether. Let’s just put a little more thought and strategy into it. For example, there is a group of people in Ashland, Oregon, who celebrate with an “Abundance Swap,” bringing things they don’t want and exchanging them for stuff they do want or need. It’s an interesting and fun twist  on socially acceptable regifting. And why is there so much stigma about regifting; don’t we recycle everything else already? For more great alternative and fun gift ideas, check out BuyNothingChristmas.org.

This year, let’s take a break from the nonsense of Black Friday sales and Cyber Monday online deals (you are supposed to be working, anyway). In the end, we will all be much wealthier, healthier, and happier. Now who wants another slice of pumpkin pie?