As you all know, I love finding a good bargain, but I am totally disgusted with Black Friday. Last year I ranted and raved to everyone in the family about Walmart, Target and Kmart opening on Thanksgiving evening. I just didn’t understand why it was necessary to shop on Thanksgiving after dinner. Thanksgiving is meant to be a day spent with your family and friends sitting around eating, playing, watching football and reflecting on what you are thankful for.
This year is even worse than last year. Yesterday I was driving down Harbor Blvd. on my way to Home Depot to buy light bulbs and I saw this sign on the side of Kmart.
Thanksgiving morning at 6am, 4pm and 8pm? Is this a joke? What about family flag football games, or walks together. Who is cooking the turkey and playing with the kids? Seriously something is really wrong with our country. Why do we value material things more than our family? I think it is so sad. What about all the workers who aren’t getting to spend Thanksgiving with their families. Even if they get paid overtime, is that really compensation enough? They are missing a moment in time they can never get back. What if they have children, what happens then? Do the kids have to stay with a babysitter on Thanksgiving? Is this what our country is coming to?
When I was a child if you forgot to buy something for your Thanksgiving dinner you couldn’t just run out to the market and get it last minute. The markets closed on Wednesday at 10pm and didn’t open again until Friday at 6am. Everyone was forced to spend time with their friends and family whether they liked it not. Of course the holidays can be daunting especially if you have to drive or travel long distances to see the ones you love, but isn’t that what life is all about? Putting effort into building relationships and spending time with people, NOT STUFF.
Today after church we were on our way to South Coast Plaza for lunch at Crystal Court and this is what I saw on the corner of Bristol and the entrance to the shopping center with Best Buy.
As we were stopped at the light I asked Trinity “What do think those people are doing?” Her response, “I bet they are lining up for the new Twilight movie.” “Well, it came out 3 days ago honey, so I don’t think so.” I grabbed my phone a took a picture just as she said “Oh, they must be lining up for Black Friday at Best Buy.” “OMG, you are totally right Trin, that is crazy.”
As soon as we got inside the mall Trin started telling my parents about the people living on the sidewalk waiting for Black Friday deals at Best Buy. My Mom went more ballistic than me. “What are those people waiting to buy? Are they having a turkey delivered on Thanksgiving? What the hell is wrong with them?” And so she went on and on as we tried to conceive of what they could possibly be buying that they needed to wait in line for 6 days. A Television, a cell phone, a DVD player?
Do they have jobs? If not, how can they afford the items they are waiting to buy? If they are actually employed how can they afford to take time off from work that long for a discount. The whole concept is baffling to me and rather repulsive.
I personally will not be shopping anywhere on Thanksgiving and I hope none of my readers will be either. Sometimes it feels like raising a family with proper morals and traditions is an up hill battle. I try to keep focused on teaching my kids to value people not things but sometimes it feels impossible with the constant inundation of ads everywhere we go.
Happy Monday!!!
xoxo tiffani
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The Best Buy line shocks me every year. But the news interview the “head of the line” fellow last year. He actually had a sound plan…… When he got his Super Deal on Friday am…..He turns around and sells it. And makes a paycheck! He then used that money to fund all this Xmas shopping. He was a college aged kid.
But I am with you…. Spend Thursday with your family! Heck…spend the whole dang weekend with them…shopping will be there for the next 4 weeks. Family and Friends are way more precious than a deal at the mall!
Happy Thanksgiving Goff Family……
I so wanted to talk to this family in line but I didn’t think TT would go for it.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
I think Black Friday shopping is ridiculous, especially those lines! Massachusetts actually has a law that no retail stores can be opened on Thanksgiving day, they can’t open until 1am on Friday. I don’t like a lot about my state but I love that law!
me too! Great law….
The MA law is good but an 8 am opening law on Friday for all but coffee shops and grocery stores would be perfect!
I completely agree with you, Tiffani! This also makes me sick. The whole materialistic holiday craziness makes me sick. Putting out Christmas decorations in the stores before Halloween makes me sick. Spending time with family and friends are what the holidays should be about. As you so perfectly stated, these moments are fleeting and will never – ever – come again!
Much love to you and your family!
Love and Thanksgiving wishes to you and Prasad!
Anyone who is employed wouldn’t take time off to spend in line, right? Or that in itself would be a waste of money. And if you’re not working and/or so tight you need the price breaks, maybe you shouldn’t be buying pricey items for Christmas that you need a discount on in the first place!
My thoughts exactly!