Unless you’ve been living under a rock, then you will have probably noticed the big fuss stores are making about Black Friday.
But what is Black Friday?
Well, like most things we seem to celebrate in South Africa lately, it is an American tradition that started in the early 1930s.
According to Sarah Pruitt, the most commonly repeated story behind the post-Thanksgiving shopping-related Black Friday tradition links it to retailers.
As the story goes, after an entire year of operating at a loss (“in the red”) stores would supposedly earn a profit (“went into the black”) on the day after Thanksgiving, because holiday shoppers blew so much money on discounted merchandise.
So now in SA for the past three years there’s been a definite increase in the number of retailers participating in Black Friday.
This year Black Friday will fall tomorrow.
Most people would not have been paid yet, so many will be tempted to dip into their bags and pull out their credit cards.
Shoppers will get into debt over things they really can do without.
Retailers have been preparing us for their super specials, teasing us with promises of the best prices of 2018.
This is not just clothing stores, but furniture stores, restaurants, car dealerships and even beauty salons.
In these tough economic times, it is even more important to be financially disciplined.
After all, there’s still the festive season to get through and the notoriously long Janu-worry (January), when most find themselves eating cabbage every other day.
But is Black Friday really worth all the fuss?
No, it’s not.
In reality, the day will be very disappointing.
Cast your mind back to last year’s chaos when people were trampling all over each other for two litres of cooldrink and some even came away with a criminal record for looting.
Criminals were also out on the prowl looking to “shop” for a few things too.
Many retailers found that they were not able to cope with the volume of shoppers and the general crowd frenzy created by the ‘specials.’
Even online shops such as Takealot crashed and most people were left fuming.
The most infuriating thing for us as consumers is the discounts are not greater than the discounts we usually get during sale season.
A 15 per cent discount is not something to rush out of bed for.
After all that shopping is done, most families will find themselves shopping again by December 15.
So what’s my advice for you about Black Friday?
Ignore it.
Don’t be tempted.
All you’re missing out on is crazy crowds, congested malls and disappointing specials.
Stick to your budget and ignore the rest.
Your bank account will thank you.
If you absolutely must take part, here are a few tips to help you navigate through it.
*Set a spending limit.
*Shop around for the best deals.
*Plan ahead and only go to the shops you want to buy from. Don’t browse around.
*Read the terms and conditions of the sale. You may not be able to return or exchange your goods if they are faulty.
*Don’t buy anything on credit.
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