Happy Thanksgiving week, friends! Thanksgiving is high on my list of favorite days of the year. I love seeing my family, eating a lot without having to justify it, and of course all the pumpkin pie.
The one thing that happens this week that I don’t like is Black Friday. I can honestly tell you that I have never once rushed to start my holiday shopping immediately after Thanksgiving dinner, stood in line outside of a store on Black Friday or anything else that happens on this major shopping day.
I’m all for businesses doing what they have to do to stay competitive, but I feel like Black Friday has gotten a little out of hand and taken away from the thankful holiday spirit. These are the reasons I refuse to shop on Black Friday:
- I’m convinced that you can get most deals that are available on Black Friday during the rest of the holiday season and even during any other season of the year.
Don’t believe me? This post was written and published before Black Friday 2019, but here are a few websites’ home pages pre-Black Friday:
As you can see above, major retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart all had Black Friday or “Pre-Black Friday” sales and deals available way before Black Friday. This tells me that I can get deals if I want and skip the crazy crowds and lines.
- It’s only a deal if you really need it or planned to buy it. If you need a new TV because yours doesn’t work anymore or you have been saving to buy yourself something that you know will be on sale during the holidays, then great! Plan accordingly and get your discount. If you were not planning on buying something but get it because it seems like a good deal and you think you’re “saving money,” you’re wrong.
Remember: If something is $1000 and it is on sale for $750, and you buy it you are not saving $250 you are spending $750.
- I don’t like crowds or lines. The only place I will voluntarily subject myself to crowds and lines is Disneyland and that is reserved for very special occasions. 🙂Being in crowds of people rushing to buy things stresses me out and I don’t enjoy it and it’s one of the biggest reasons I stay away from shopping on Black Friday.
- I like to focus on the real reason we have this holiday. Thanksgiving is a beautiful time to reflect on all you have and enjoy quality time with the people that mean the most to you. My focus during this time of year is to be grateful and cherish the time I have with my loved ones – not counting down the minutes of the holiday being over so that I can go shopping.
- Cyber Monday, DUH. Finally, I don’t shop on Black Friday because of this lovely thing called Cyber Monday. I shop for the holidays too and love getting my family and friends gifts and I also love a great deal so IF I want or need to buy something and there is a good deal on it, I’ll order it from the comfort of my own home on Cyber Monday. I get the deals without the crowds, lines or traffic.
With the holidays quickly approaching, you’ll likely be searching for deals to help with the costs of gifts for your loved ones. There’s nothing wrong with searching for discounts and being smart about your holiday shopping! Just remember that all those “Black Friday Only” deals, might not actually be exclusive to Black Friday and that there are different options to get your holiday shopping done – some more stress-free than others. 😉
I wish you and your loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving! ❤️🦃
