That's so sad. It's ironic and sad that businesses made Friday after Thanksgiving-a holiday about contentment and gratitude- a day for materialism and discontent. I confess that I did some of my holiday shopping after Thanksgiving this year like many; but you are right that there is no need for rush and hype! Thanks for the reminder. We must remain grateful to God for His blessings in the spirit of Thanksgiving, celebrate the birth of His Son on Christmas, and avoid getting completely wrapped up in the commercialism that corporations have pushed onto our holidays!

I LOVE black Friday !!!

Now we don't participate in the early morning,long line madness,but we always enjoy a day out shopping for ourselves.

As a former retail employee, I have literally seen mayhem on Black Fridays that looked like outtakes from one of those 'blob attack' movies from the '50s. Little old ladies elbowing other little old ladies like roller-derby enforcers, to the extent that two people nearly lost their lives...being pitched sideways over railings into a 2-story stairwell...narrowly saved by an ex-Marine 'civilian' and a fearless 90 lb. elementary school teacher.

'And for what sublime, must-have, rare and valuable merchandise,' I can hear you asking?

Little decorated ceramic Christmas village buildings, 20% off!!!

"Grandma didn't make it, Billy...but at least it was for a good cause...." 

John3:16KJV!

     Listen here! You are so right. I can remember when Christmas was more about what the Holiday actually meant than Now. Yes, There was "Santa" But he took a back seat to what it actually meant in my family! Santa was a way of teaching about the Gift that HE gave us on the Day in Question. Whatta present indeed!!!

     Of Course the Revell kits under the tree made it special for me, because I was kind of a LONER anyway! I got up at five, Served six A.M. Mass then opened my presents when I got home! Oh, But the Singing and Christmas greetings from total strangers made it special too!

Crowds, long lines, shopping, and rude people.  It sounds horrible.  No thanks.  

I've never done the black Friday thing, but then again, even when the kids were young, I refused to play the gotta have the 'one' thing each year. You know, that 'one toy' that everybody just had to have .  .  .bullpucky; I ain't gonna do it!!

This is probably why my kids, now grown, don't really play that either. Kinda makes me think I did it right.

Every holiday has become a money maker for businesses. Take Memorial or Veterans Day, do any of the veterans or veteran organizations get money from sales proceeds? Hell no. The real meaning for these holidays has been lost to sales and marketing bs. How about just stopping, reflecting on the particular holiday and pay respects. Christmas is about celebrating the birth of our Lord, not to see who gets what and how expensive the gift is or how many one gets. Yes its nice to receive gifts but just keep it in perspective.

And,there's nothing wrong with black Friday online model sales,I took advantage of one from Andy's

Many years ago I worked in a sports store for Boxing day. Yup, it was crazy. The day before a colegue and I hid some things we wanted and got them for next to nothing. Boxing day + employee discount was a super deal

GreySnake

I could never understand the frenzy around black Friday. I worked in retail a number of years and was amazed how people would act around the Thanksgiving to Christmas time. It is not worth getting into a fight over bath towels that are two dollars off. Or yelling because Christmas is ruined because Susie isn’t getting the latest fad toy.

 

"You can't...fix...stupid." 

Managing a retail store during the holiday season completely destroyed any positive opinion I might have had about humanity.

   Summer at local gas station/ covienience store took it out of me...didn't need holidays to prove " you can't fix stupid".

GreySnake

I could never understand the frenzy around black Friday. I worked in retail a number of years and was amazed how people would act around the Thanksgiving to Christmas time. It is not worth getting into a fight over bath towels that are two dollars off. Or yelling because Christmas is ruined because Susie isn’t getting the latest fad toy.

 

65" TVs going for $250, laptops also on deep discount, etc.

Yeah, $2 off a set of bath towels isn't going to do it, but $2000 off of a $4500 fridge that makes coffee in the door is a deal.

Okay I can see that about large items Rob. 

I bought a jersey for one of my nephews on Black Friday. Thankfully the store was pretty quiet. Otherwise all my shopping was online Black Friday and Cyber Monday. 

I had a doctor's appointment today (Monday) and thought I'd pick up some bows and boxes during the day. Everywhere was still packed- I'm glad I didn't try to get in on the weekend... 

As I said earlier,I used to love to go,I never lined up overnight or engaged in craziness,but always found deep discounts,I haven't gone since 2017 where I live now there are no mega malls like in NJ,but even 5 years ago it was dying down,between Cyber-Monday and stores starting their sales basically in October,stores open on Thanksgiving,Friday it self has become less of a thing,more like being in the mall on a busy Saturday.

Oh,and I did get a great black Friday sale at Andy's Hobby!!