Don't Fall For IT

Black Friday is a ploy and a sham. It gets you in the door for that thing or two that is greatly reduced (which will be greatly reduced again), and then most people keep buying what they THINK they need, when 8 times out of 10 they did not.

Last year my sister went to Radio Shack and got herself an MP3 player. It was a good one and it was reduced in price. She went there at 5:30 in the morning. Although this sister of mine is extremely disciplined and went with a plan for that one item and stuck to it, I can assure you, this item was further reduced five months later.

Five months later, I was looking for an MP3 player because the weather was much more desirable and I wanted to distract myself with music while jogging and biking. I saw the same MP3 player at Radio Shack for the same reduced price, however, I also saw that Best Buy was having a sale on Zunes and ended up buying one of those. Only I bought it at Target, where it was even cheaper. If you have patience and do your research, you can find great deals all year long and the best part, you don't have to wake up at 4 AM and wait in line with 70 really gassy people (on account of the big meal).

The reason "BLACK" Friday starts after Thanksgiving has to do with the gift buying season and the market and not ending up in the "RED" after the gift buying season ends with a "WHITE" Christmas. All these colors are very confusing.

All I know is this past summer, Target had their really huge toy sale, and I bought all my kids birthday and Chanukah gifts for this upcoming year. I got Ate an electric baseball shooting toy which was originally marked over 40.00 for just under 10.00 and I got V-tech systems, board games, dolls, (my Mom got Ate a HUGE train table and train set for no money) - with coupon use, it was great savings and I did not have to wait in lines out in frigid weather.

Not all, but most people who take advantage of "Black" Friday, wait for it, not realizing they can find great savings all year if they look online either for that item at a reduced price or for the coupons. They can also apply to receive promotions and coupons from individual stores and spend time comparing the stores that carry the item/items they are looking for for the best price.

I recently purchased an obscure item online to use in the centerpieces I am putting together for an organizational fundraising dinner. I needed about 35 of this one item. When I first saw this object online, I saw prices between 14.00 and 22.00, but I kept looking. I ended up purchasing each one for five dollars. After all, this is a fundraising dinner. We are trying to make money, not spend it.

So to all those who just came home with aching feet and empty pockets (and a black eye because you got elbowed by five other people), I sincerely hope the purchases you made are worth it . Enjoy all the loot you came home with. But I am going to wait until I no longer have to compete for a parking space, or for elbow space. I will wait until there is enough space between bodies that I am assured I will not contract whatever it is that person has that is causing a drippy nose and an obscene rash. I will wait, because I am content with all I have currently. And I continue to recognize that patience is a virtue.