The Reality Of Black Friday

Who doesn’t like a free lunch? Buy one get two, 50% off, limited time only… These buzzwords are imprinted on our brains, instantly activated when needed. However, there was a time when such delights were rare as precious jewels, prompting the sort of mass hysteria normally associated with a raging plague. The mere mention of a discount or a sale would elicit feverish frenzies among women, kids and men (feel free to imagine our ancestors as excitable chipmunks skipping from store to store, arms laden with unnecessary goodies).

These days indifference reigns in the retail sector. Sales? We have had bonanzas, weird tie-ins (if I buy ‘chicken’ from KFC I may win a motorbike?!), offers too good to be true (spend 10 bucks to get 1,000,000 seconds). People are simply no longer attracted by the kind promotions that in the past drew huge crowds. So time to be creative.

If you are a fan of most things American, you may be aware of a phenomenon called Black Friday. Simply put, it occurs around Thanksgiving, and it is basically an excuse to go broke with massive sales everywhere. The concept isn’t just American any longer; many other countries have adopted it.