Black Friday Madness

Every year, stores bombard audiences with Black Friday deals. Commercials start weeks before Thanksgiving and encourage shopping sprees. Traditionally, deals started extremely early on the morning following Thanksgiving, but in recent years sales have started as early as 8:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving night.

To convince us to find the energy to shop after the holiday, many retailers rely on the use of language to influence us. Instead of just saying "deal," they say "deal of the year;" rather than say "sale they call bargains "extreme price drops." Peter Darke, a marketing professor at York University in Toronto, says that getting a good deal can evoke a strong emotional reaction. He claims getting items at such a reduced price make the shopper fell like they are "rational, good, effective, and skilled." 

These efforts to persuade us emotionally certainly work. In 2010 alone, consumers spent a total of $39 billion on Black Friday. With emotional and possibly financial need to get the best deal, some people snap under pressure. Big retail stores, such as Wal-Mart, see their share of violence on Black Friday. Last year, the violence included robberies, gunfire and even shootings. Some say that the consumer is not solely to blame. Retailers create situations that induce chaos, and suddenly shoppers are left fighting over sale items. Additionally, the infowars website describes the circumstance where one woman in a Los Angeles Wal-Mart used pepper spray on a crowd to gain a "competitive edge."

So, here's the biggest question about Black Friday: is it a scam? Alan Dunn, writer for Business Insider, says it's not exactly a scam...but more of a sham. He argues that people need to better understand how to save money rather than spend money. Dunn explains people may buy something extravagant simply because it is on sale, and possibly increase any existing debt along the way. The reward of Black Friday seems to depend more on the consumer than on the actual sale or store. If shoppers spend wisely and know when to stop, Black Friday can be incredibly rewarding. However, those deep in debt already should avoid stores, as they may end up spending more than they should because of the allure of the deals. 

With the 2012 Black Friday now behind us, CNN reported that while there was a higher volume of people shopping, actual sales saw a slight decline. The article explains that this may be due to the early deals that start on Thanksgiving night. People are spending holiday money then, instead of waiting until the actual Black Friday. So while all of the attempts to persuade the public to come out to shop clearly had some success, not all customers were willing to spend. Did you get any Black Friday deals?

~Mallory Buohl, Elliot Lopez, Quatima Spearman, Aaron Spece

Posted in: Advertising, Business