You know what frosts my flakes?
Black Friday.
It is October 1, and I am already getting emails telling me I need to prepare NOW for Black Friday, which is 56 DAYS away!
But apparently, as a business owner, I am already behind if I haven’t figured out what I’m practically giving away the day after Thanksgiving.
I have never understood the logic behind Black Friday.
The day after Americans gather around the table to give thanks for everything they already have, businesses are expected to convince them they desperately need MORE STUFF.
And not just a few businesses.
There are more than 36 million small businesses in America, and every one of them is apparently supposed to offer some spectacular Black Friday deal.
So, how does a business stand out?
A 10% discount?
BORING!
Twenty percent?
NOT GOOD ENOUGH!
Thirty percent?
NOW we’re talking!
Slash your prices! Give away free shipping! Throw in a bonus! Sacrifice your firstborn!
Anything to get somebody’s attention while millions of other businesses are also screaming, “BUY FROM ME!”
Meanwhile, American consumers are already carrying more than $1 trillion in credit card debt.
But don’t worry, Black Friday is coming!
Now we can buy even MORE stuff we can’t afford and really don’t need because the stuff is 30% OFF!
And somehow this is supposed to be good for businesses, too?
Work all year trying to make a profit, then compete with millions of other companies by seeing who can make the LEAST amount of money on every sale.
Help me make sense of this!
Why not have a spectacular sale on October 1? Or July 24? Or some random Tuesday in February when you’re not competing with half the businesses in America for the same customer’s last $50?
But no. We wait until the day after Thanksgiving.
First, we give thanks for everything we have.
Then, before the leftovers are even cold, we max out the credit cards buying more stuff because somebody slapped a BLACK FRIDAY SALE sticker on it.
I’m Grandpa Grumpy. Maybe they call it Black Friday because that’s the color of the hole we’re digging with our credit cards.