Black Bloody Friday.
How on earth can Europeans be so stupidly gullible?
People are so easily manipulated by commerce. Offer them €10 off a new TV, and they'll buy it even if the don't need one, or can't afford it; and all because there are advertisements, ad infinitum, telling them that it's something called BLACK FRIDAY; and they would be crazy to miss a 'bargain'. How idiotic.
Well, I for one will be staying home on Friday; I'd prefer to buy that bloody TV on SENSIBLE SATURDAY, even if it cost me £50 more.
And if this foolery wasn't bad enough, we'll now be having nothing but bloody back-to-back Christmas adverts for the next four weeks. Give me strength!
It is down here as well. We are going on a Garden Tour so will be well away from shops.
Good idea. Although I now see that 'Friday' means a whole week.
Cathy 22 November 2018 at 07:03
Across the ditch from Kamo Lady (Susan) we have that same fairly new (imported from the US of A) pleasure' as well. Retailers will stop at nothing to make a sale - shoppers will stop at nothing to part with their cash
Both as bad as each other; but at least I can understand the retailers.
Andrew 22 November 2018 at 07:21
It is a difficult time of the year for those less enthusiastic consumers. I don't like the name Black Friday. We call past days of terrible bushfires Black days. We have a Black Friday from 1939 with 71 people killed.
For the first few years, I didn't even know what 'Black Friday' was all about. I now wish it hadn't been explained.
Yael 22 November 2018 at 07:42
Here too it came and we are not really Europe
If retailers think there's money to be made, it'll spread world-wide.
local alien 22 November 2018 at 08:31
For the second year it's really big here too. We've had over a week of adverts, they're driving us mad.
No one that we've spoken too believes there will really be bargains. Everyone expects shops here to try and get rid of out dated stock.....and not at bargain prices.
I certainly won't be drawn into needless spending
A lot of it is cheap bought-in tat from Taiwan. People think they're getting bargains, but they soon find-out they're NOT.
Patricia (La Chatte Gitane) 22 November 2018 at 08:52
It irritates me no end. Most consumers don't even know the origin of it.
Buy, buy, buy. Spend, spend, spend. It makes me want to puke.
Ditto. Have nothing to do with it.
It sure shows what the human species is. Herd mentality and actually savages.
Sue G 22 November 2018 at 09:02
Haha,bring on BrXmas!
As long as it's a 'no deal'; I'm with you.
Sue in Suffolk 22 November 2018 at 09:14
Some shops over here have had a whole Black Week or a Black Weekend. Both sound very depressing!
I suspect it's happening here too.
cumbrian 22 November 2018 at 09:14
Pleased to read I.m not the only one with the idea that this is an exercise for the big stores to off-load surplus stock.
Our local Asda (part of the Walmart family) goes in for it big time with the usual queues and fighting which I studiously avoid.
We need to start a rebel 'WHITE FRIDAY', where no-one spends anything at all.
Alphie Soup 22 November 2018 at 09:28
The very best that globalisation has to offer. More ways to get people to spend their money.
I can't help but think of the old adage about fools and their money.
Alphie
The sad part is that they DO spend their money. There are a lot of fools about.
Jennyff 22 November 2018 at 09:36
Of course black Friday is just a marketing ploy, amazing how so many are taken in. Its the festive tunes in the shops that drive me mad, the workers must be totally mental after a month.
I haven't heard any yet, but it won't be long. In our case they may be preferable to the rest of the year's tripe.
Gwil W 22 November 2018 at 10:04
One gimmick after another, and the environment going down the pan. No clean water. No clean air. Millions of slaves at work in the world's sweatshops. It's all about greed, greed, greed. I hate it.
So do I Gwil.... Stop the world, I want...
Charles 22 November 2018 at 10:28
It makes sense in the USA when they clear all the old stock out and the bargains are real. Also if you go back 40 years holidays in the US were much meaner than here, you were lucky to get 10 days off in a year so everyone who could took the Friday after thanksgiving off as it gave them a 4 day break for the cost of one day of leave. As it was close to Christmas all the shops started having sales to clear out old stock.
In Europe it is a disaster for retailers, why have a sale in your peak shopping period? A lot of the deals are scams with prices being inflated artificially for a month so that they can be slashed back to their normal overinflated price. It is appalling for small retailers who cannot get up to these shenanigans but are under pressure to join in.
The one thing I want, Spring, is not on sale for another 4 months, Black Friday or not.
TV's you can have now, for Spring you'll have to wait.
Rachel Phillips 22 November 2018 at 10:33
Retailers on the high street are in desperate times. They need to sell. Anything is clutched to get the shoppers in. Amazon must make them weep, Its Black Friday has already started and lasts 11 days.
Retailers need their 'rates' reduced. It's the Councils, as much as anyone, who are putting them out of business. I knew someone who had a tiny shop, and needed to make over £2,000 profit each week before he earned a penny for himself; he packed it in!
Amazon. The world's richest man owns it. Van drivers are tearing around the towns, parking on the pavements, transferring parcels in service areas and scanning stuff as if there's no tomorrow. It's a frenzy! And as we see the friendly local shopkeeper is rapidly becoming extinct. Asda when it started used to be 'associated dairies'. I didn't know it was now a subsidiary of Walmart.
Walmart took over Asda many years ago, when I was still broking. Walmart are currently offloading it to Sainsburys.
Andi's English Attic 22 November 2018 at 10:46
Getting my weekend shop today. Going nowhere NEAR the shops tomorrow. It's all such a manufactured frenzy and people fall for it.
Grrrrrrr!
Too undignified for me.
Too infra dignitatem for me!
Meanqueen 22 November 2018 at 12:35
I think I might go to the shops just to take photo's of the mayhem. It could be good fun.
Take some knuckle dusters!
And a stab vest!
Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybe 22 November 2018 at 13:21
Black Friday is followed by Small Business Saturday (I go to that), but both days are now overshadowed by Cyber Monday. It keeps the economy going and people will do what they want to do. On the whole, they are buying something for others and not for themselves.
I doubt they are buying for others; from what I've seen it's pure greed.
Jane Karwat 22 November 2018 at 13:56
It is the same here in Canada,wall to wall black Friday adverts. I am a no thanks on this.
It's everywhere... no escaping.
50 and counting 23 November 2018 at 01:19
It's terrible. It just started creeping over the border. The funny thing is the only coworkers that get excited by it are the Phillipinos! I know three that take the time off to go to the sales.
I'd rather do Boxing Day
Wouldn't it be nice to know the true cost of something? Never know if an item is a bargain or not.
On Black Friday, best to presume it's NOT.
The Weaver of Grass 22 November 2018 at 21:01
Even trying to buy on line yesterday (a sweater) I found every site peppered and plastered with Black Friday ads - andI don't believe a word of them.
I was watching TV last night, and an ad' came on for a kitchen manufacturing Co called 'Wren', who were advertising 'BLACK NOVEMBER'. A whole bloody month for them!
elegancemaison 24 November 2018 at 02:06
I bought Chanel No 5 in the limited edition Red botttle at a huge discount in my local Debenhams store. Gift wrapped for my dear heart to give me at Christmas. Well pleased. Our huge screen TV was 'inherited' from our son who emigrated to the USA six years ago so no need to search the bargains. It's not all bad on black Friday. You just have to know what you want/need and compare prices. Or leave it alone. Don't get stressed.
The New Doc'.
A tad excessive.
Obsessive?
Yule Log 2018.
The Future for ex-pats?
This past week's news!
Fartichokes.
Water Cannon.
The sudden cold.
Iceland's Banned TV Christmas Advert.
Cake.
Horses.
RIP Freddie; aged 14.
Sale room practices.
Egrets.
Hornets.
Winter Sun.
To buy bread.
Remembrance Day: Lest we forget.
Favourite clothes.
All in a day's work..
The net.
What could it be?
Southern France in Autumn.
Scruffy Barnet.
Tears before bedtime.
Lowry.
Drink Pink?