Thanksgiving or Thanksgetting?
On Thursday, people gave thanks for what they have. The next day, they rushed out to buy things they want—whether for themselves or to give to others.
Thanksgiving has all but disappeared from the major media landscape. The Halloween candy wasn't even down to only Smarties when Christmas trees appeared in stores.
Black Friday sales didn't even wait for Friday this year. There were several retailers who decided to bump up the rush by opening the doors Thanksgiving night. Walmart's Black Friday deals started at 8 p.m. Thanksgiving, according to the Journal Sentinel. And Target stores opened at 9 p.m. Thanksgiving, according to Bloomburg Business Week.
In 2011, sales were estimated to be $11.4 million—a 6.6 percent increase over 2010—according to a CNN report on Black Friday sales. But almost half of them were buying things for themselves, 11 percent more than reported doing so in 2010. It's hard to believe that trend will reverse itself this year.
But there are a few places trying a different approach.
There's the online effort 30 Days of Gratitude—which has spawned its own viral Facebook movement, with people using a status update every day in November to post one thing for which they are thankful. There's Buy Nothing Day—the same day as Black Friday—which encourages people to avoid the retail scene altogether on that most-hyped shopping day.
Some have started petitions against retailers opening early, like this one against Target's Thanksgiving night deal-making. And a Kenosha woman started a petition asking Walmart to give employees Thanksgiving off, rather than making them stock shelves and prep for the 8 p.m. opening.
LMB52
8:35 am on Sunday, November 25, 2012
Its called Gray Thursday now Black Friday Eve is so old fashioned
Bob McBride
8:35 am on Sunday, November 25, 2012
The only way it stops is if people don't show up and there's no benefit to being open. Based on the response to this year's Thanksgiving day openings, it doesn't appear there's even a remote possibility of that happening.
Randy1949
11:17 am on Sunday, November 25, 2012
Someone will always be there, if only for the incredible deals they use to lure people into the stores. They were selling cell phones for less than a dollar in some places. In this economy people WILL line up to have a chance at something they might never otherwise be able to afford.
For me, nothing would be worth having to trample over other people to fight for something that may be sold out by the time I get to the shelf.
Bob McBride
4:44 pm on Sunday, November 25, 2012
Unless I'm mistaken, you can get a cellphone free from our government if you're so poor that you actually can't afford a plan that comes with a free phone now. I'm not sure what you're seeing here is people buying necessities they couldn't afford otherwise. In addition, if people were buying only the door busters and leaving when they ran out, I don't think you'd see this going on for very long. I doubt the markups on door busters are enough to keep the doors open on their own.
Randy1949
4:54 pm on Sunday, November 25, 2012
@Bob McBride -- Since I'm currently looking into getting my first cellphone with a pay as you go service like TracPhone, the idea of a phone that cheap was briefly appealing. But to quote from the movie Tommy Boy, I think I might have been getting myself a genuine piece of cr@p.
There are some of us who aren't poor enough for free cellphones but not rich enough to waste money on something that will take videos and do my taxes when all I want to do is make a phone call when I'm away from home.
Jay Sykes
5:46 pm on Sunday, November 25, 2012
@Randy... We recently helped an old family friend move to prepaid cellular and this chart was helpful. http://www.cellguru.net/prepaid_compare.htm
Randy1949
5:56 pm on Sunday, November 25, 2012
@Jay Sykes -- That is very helpful -- thank you!
Sonia Garcia
10:09 am on Monday, November 26, 2012
I am all for Black Friday shopping, it benefits customers, and retailers. But carrying this into Thanksgiving day, almost defeats the purpose of Thanksgiving. It's a little hypocritical.
Justa Comment
10:21 am on Sunday, November 25, 2012
How sad it is. People standing in lines for hours to buy things that for the most part probably nobody really, really wants or needs anyway. Spending money and using coupons is now more important than spending quality time with one's families. What a world this has become.And after Christmas, so many of these unwanted things will just be returned to the stores.
Karen
10:21 am on Sunday, November 25, 2012
This is a pathetic new approach to be included with a holiday of gratitude for what we have. It just makes me sad to see the hoards of customers pushing each other around for new stuff.
Randy1949
11:26 am on Sunday, November 25, 2012
My family was never particularly religious, so I've come to use the holiday more as a benchmark of who we've lost over the past year and who we've gained. I take stock of what's important in life and, while there are things that could improve, I still have a lot that is worth being happy about.
We had a special turkey meal, but we never treated it as the huge gobble-fest that seems to be the norm also.
I think it's very sad for the people who have to work on Thanksgiving evening just to push the limits of the shopping frenzy up for a few hours.
Katy G
11:43 am on Sunday, November 25, 2012
I agree with Bob, if people would stop showing up for the junk, the stores would stop. Now that the numbers are in and the Thursday sales took away from the Friday sales, all in all I think the retailers lost out due to all the extra labor costs to open the door on Thursdays. Hopefully they will learn that there is a limit to everything. Besides, how many flat-panel tvs does one need?
Randy1949
11:48 am on Sunday, November 25, 2012
Is there any other kind of TV being sold than flat-panel nowadays? So basically, when your old set dies, you need a flat-panel. I don't think it's a sign of outrageous luxury anymore.
Now, do you need a 64 inch screen? Probably not
James R Hoffa
3:44 pm on Sunday, November 25, 2012
@Randy1949 -
Mitsubishi still manufactures and sells DLP and Laser based rear projection sets, which if Hoffa needed a new set would actually be his preferred choice over any flat panel currently manufactured. And Sony and Panasonic still manufacture and sell CRT based sets, albeit only for the commercial/broadcast industry.
Hoffa is still very pleased with the performance of his console CRT Curtis Mathes (made in Texas), and CRT based Curtis Mathes rear projection (made/assembled in California). Hoffa only ever had to replace the CRT tubes in the rear projection once with NEC tubes, otherwise, both are trucking along beautifully. Anyone who sees them can't believe the picture quality that Hoffa is able to achieve, as both sets are professionally ISF calibrated.
Flat panels today are much like VHS was to Beta. While Beta achieved a higher quality, the asses of the masses propelled VHS to a market dominance over Beta. Just like the inferior picture quality of flat panels over their competing technologies.
Hoffa rarely ever agrees with the majority of consumers, as they tend to be idiots.
Randy1949
4:48 pm on Sunday, November 25, 2012
@Hoffa -- Randy is familiar with the Curtis Mathes brand, as Randy's father bought one back in the 1960s after having been told it was the best TV ever. Let us just say that Randy's family became good friends with the TV repairman, who was at our house frequently until the set finally died entirely after only a few years. Meanwhile, an older crappy Zenith portable worked like a trooper and lasted us into the mid-1970s.
The cabinet on the Curtis Mathes was a splendid piece of woodworking, though. Randy's father took the guts out of it, and it has done the family service as a bookcase and now a TV stand in my son's home.
Carol
11:46 am on Sunday, November 25, 2012
We are supposed to be Thankful for things we have, like peace, good health & happiness. Seems like the real meaning has been forgotten and every year the Christmas sales start earlier and people become greedier! Lets get back to the real meaning and remember that it's not just a big shopping day cause there are always sales. Feel sorry for the people who had to work on Thanksgiving in the stores.
Bren
7:32 pm on Sunday, November 25, 2012
I don't buy something because it's on sale, I buy it because it is needed (for me, as a gift, etc.). I don't understand the need to "stock up" on electronics, etc., just because it's on sale, and especially not on a commemorative day such as Thanksgiving. Others may do as they please, of course.
Keith R. Deschler
9:28 pm on Sunday, November 25, 2012
I prefer to worship and thank the Lord for all His many blessings to me and my family on Thanksgiving Eve at Grace Lutheran Church in Racine. I spent Thanksgiving with my immediate family. Ate a wonderful Turkey dinner at Golden Keys restaurant in Racine. Not a freebie as in years past, too much food got wasted (due to some health department regulations that discouraged packing up massive amounts of food and donating it, for some odd reason). Did not participate in Black Friday at all, not interested in the crowds or the stuff. Not even Advent yet, and I don't get too worked up on the material aspects of Christmas anymore, too concerned with just keeping our household going in these tough times. Prefer to focus on why Christ came, and what His first advent has to offer me in regard to the difficulties I face in life.
Gregory Kluck
10:41 pm on Sunday, November 25, 2012
I do not participate in Black Friday sales, or as I call it, Greedfest.
Heather in Caledonia
8:26 am on Monday, November 26, 2012
I tend to let myself get caught up in excitement and hype, so a few years ago I did the early morning Black Friday shopping (then it was only at 7:00 AM, not midnight). It wasn't nearly as exciting and fun as I thought it would be and barely worth the savings. Over the years, there have been a couple of things we've purchased on Black Friday, but we don't make An Event out of it. This year I purposely stayed away from stores most of the weekend so as not to fight with crowds.
We were lucky to have a lot of time to visit with family and friends this Thanksgiving weekend and I also took the time to relax and refresh. Christmas, to me, is not about giving The Best Present Ever. It's about the birth of Christ and how we show love to each other by giving of our time and (modest) gifts as God showed His love to us by giving His only Son. I don't want to spend a month shopping, listening to Christmas music, and decking halls only to have it all over in a flurry of wrapping paper at the end of December.
I agree, that if they didn't get the customers, the stores wouldn't be open. Apparently, there are enough people who want to give up their time off to stand in line and compete for deals. If I ran a store, I would still be closed until regular time on Friday, but I can understand the need to compete for shoppers' dollars by giving them what they want.
Heather in Caledonia
8:29 am on Monday, November 26, 2012
Does anyone remember when the Friday after Thanksgiving was the day to go to the movies? I remember going to the movies because nothing much was open and we were tired of staring at turkey leftovers. :) It was always crowded at the movie theatre - everyone else had slept in late, too, and wanted to get out and have a good time. Ahhh... the good old days.... :)
Leah Szymborski
11:34 am on Monday, November 26, 2012
I think the stores should wait until Friday to open their doors. Thursday is still a day people should spend with their families, not rushing to get the best deals.