Today at TILE we talked about Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year. Why are people willing to spend the day after Thanksgiving shopping in a way they don’t during the rest of the year? Why join the consumer insanity… or why choose not to? In a season based on being thankful and generous, is this the only way to spread your holiday cheer?
Even though it isn’t officially in the holiday calendar, Black Friday – the Friday following Thanksgiving – seems to be one of the largest non-holiday “holidays” of the year. Stores create a ton of incentives for individuals to brave the crowds. They offer special deals and sales (buy more, not less), access to the hottest products (before they jump off the shelves), and a “you’ll miss out if you don’t join the fun” mood. While the objective is basically commercial (or business-focused), Black Friday has become a very sentimental and exciting day for many.
This year in particular, businesses want and need to see people in stores. Even though the expected number of holiday shoppers is estimated to increase to 134 million from 128 million a year ago, the overall holiday season spending is expected to fall 1% to $437.6 billion (The National Retail Federation). This means individuals are spending less per purchase and businesses are competing for a larger piece of a smaller pie. While overall sales have slipped a notch, consumers seem to be taking advantage of low prices and Black Friday is becoming more important. According to market research firm IBIS World, sales over the weekend will reach almost $43 billion or 3% higher than last year. That means that 10% of all holiday spending is happening in the weekend following Thanksgiving!
What if going shopping on Friday isn’t your thing? Maybe you’d rather just sleep in? Eat leftovers? Head to the gym? Or finally finish that paper? Admittedly, no one at TILE is planning on shopping that day either. Mostly citing a desire to stay away from huge crowds… and a tendency towards habitual holiday shopping procrastination! That being said, there was a general feeling in the office that we like it when friends and family “think outside the box” as a means to spread cheer and say thanks. Specifically, as a team we’re encouraging one other to consider alternative gift giving – maybe a donation to a favorite cause? Volunteering time together? Some of our Give Causes even devote sections of their sites to gift ideas. You may consider giving one of the “Little Black Boxes” from charity: water.
At the end of the day, we all have so much to be thankful for – friends, family, and so many opportunities to do so many things. At TILE, we are thankful to be involved with a good business that is also a good cause – with great people who show up every day. What are you thankful for? How will you spend your holiday? Just remember, if you’ve waited until the last minute to go shopping… giving is just a click away.
- Amy