How Are You Going to Spend Your “Black Friday”?

For the past 50 years or so in the United States the day after Thanksgiving – which is always the fourth Thursday in November – is termed “Black Friday.” This is a traditional shopping day and is typically one of the busiest shopping days of the year. In fact, it’s called Black Friday because many retailers go in the black that day due to all the shoppers who crowd their stores buying gifts for the end-of-the-year holidays.The day traditionally goes something like this: Newspapers stuffed with ads arrive at homes and newsstands on Thanksgiving Day, and true Black Friday shoppers take the time to peruse the slick, colorful sales inserts looking for promotional items, early bird deals that may start as early as 5:00 A.M. or earlier, and hard to find popular toys and entertainment devices.Then those savvy shoppers plan their strategy, making sure to set the alarm for the right time before they go to bed to assure an early start the next morning. That’s the only way to assure hey are first in line for in-demand items which may be the hottest toy in limited quantities or just a loss-leader price for something they are looking for or can use.Black Friday shoppers create long lines waiting for store doors to open. Hyped up on early morning caffeine or just the excitement of the season, these shoppers rush to the aisles and displays where the best advertised deals are located as soon as the doors are open, often knocking into each and sometimes resulting in falls for some of the more fragile among them. In fact, fights and tussles have been reported in years past as people grab for limited items and swarm cash registers trying to make it to the next store on the list before all of the good stuff disappears.Some people like this routine. Best girl friends team up for the shopping spree leaving husbands at home with the kids for at least this one day of the year.Laden with bags, people practically jog in and out of mall stores to their cars in overcrowded parking lots. Feet hurt and tempers flare by the end of the day. (Particularly for the people who work in retail.)On the other side of the spectrum, with our online store we don’t even have to think about alarm clocks and comfortable shoes for Black Friday or any other day. We are always available with no lines, no waiting, and a reliable array of items we’ve carefully screened from around the world before they made it into our online catalog.So, let’s compare. You can get up late on Black Friday, after sleeping well and digesting that big meal the day before, pick up the newspaper you didn’t have time to read the day before, toss the ads in the recycling bin, make a perfect cup of coffee, turn on your computer, and go shopping with us.No rush.No hassle.No driving around looking for a parking spot.No large parcels to lug to your car.No concern that you are being watched and someone might break into your car and steal your purchases while you continue shopping.Only a few minutes or an hour or so spent fulfilling your holiday gift list with silk clothing, jewelry, or craft purchases perfectly matched to the people you care about.The rest of the day is yours. It’s open. You get to describe how it goes. You get to decide how you want to spend Black Friday. In fact, staying home and shopping online could turn that day into your Green Friday because you’ll save gas as well as all of that water soaking your tired aching body and feet at the end of the day.