In the US, Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving. North of the border, it’s the day we lose our collective consumer mind!
Good Deals, Bad Behaviour
How is it that the best deals bring out the worst in people? Polite society has no place when it comes to door crasher sales. Bad behavior such as cutting in line, starting fights and yelling at store employees isn’t unusual. Psychologists have studied this phenomenon and chalk it up to several factors. Acting out can be the result when shoppers feel there’s a scarcity of product or they’re facing an unfair situation. That means the competition to get one of the 100 super cheap laptops (scarcity of product) creates tension. Then when the laptops sell out, or only 90 laptops are available, the shopper feels the deal was unfair. Let the fight begin!
‘Tis the Season to Shop
The term “Black Friday” was first used in Philadelphia in the 1960s. The label originally carried a negative connotation that referred to hordes of holiday shoppers and the related traffic. Retailers put a positive spin on the day by giving it a financial tie-in. The fast-flowing money from all that shopping converted red books to black books and the name stuck.
Black Friday’s cousin, Cyber Monday, was introduced in 2005. Falling on the Monday after Thanksgiving, this manufactured holiday encouraged people to shop online with the incentive of great deals. Cyber Monday spending is projected to reach about $3 billion USD this year.
Not everybody is enthusiastic about Black Friday. Many retailers hear complaints from employees expected to work on a holiday. Workers have even staged protests. Some stores have responded by closing on the hallowed shopping day to give their employees time to celebrate.
Black Friday in Canada
In 2008, Black Friday jumped the border, bringing deals to Canadians. Since then, the shopping craze has spread. Retailers from as far away as the UK, France, Brazil and Pakistan offer deals the day after American Thanksgiving. Some people even travel to US to shop, while others enjoy US deals online from their home countries.
One marketing pro says Canada enjoys a “micro-season of retail” that runs from Halloween through late November. Just as Christmas decorations show up earlier every year, the holiday shopping season seems to be ever-expanding. Add Boxing Day to the mix, along with new year sales, and the buying extends right into 2018!
Beyond Black Friday
If you need help selling a product, corporate video is a great tool. Contact us at Key West Video to talk about a strategy that works for you. With our video packages and the willingness to negotiate price, you won’t have to wait for Black Friday to get a great deal.
