Black Friday – sales gimmick or genuine deals?

Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving Day and the Friday before Cyber Monday in the United States. It is a busy shopping day and is a holiday in some states. Black Friday, which is the day after Thanksgiving Day, is a busy shopping day.

Here in Jamaica we don’t celebrate thanksgiving and neither is this our biggest shopping day.  However, we have adopted our own brand of sales based on the American tradition.  A number of stores have advertised sales for one day or for the entire weekend.  The limited sale boasts discounts of up to between fifty to sixty percent.

Are these sales a gimmick or can we trust these deals?

Sales on Black Friday

Merchants are always trying to attract more customers.  It is the sign of a good business when a profit is made and that is the ultimate aim.  As a result merchants will employ various stunts to get more customers in their doors.

Some stores use expensive signs that promise unbelievable deals while others hire persons to hand out flyers advertising their company. A lot of advertisements capitalize on holidays and encourage people to buy their product.  So even though this is a traditionally American holiday, Jamaican merchants have decided to tap into that market.

What typically happens at Black Friday sales in America?

Well on Black Friday in America stores open early and close late.  They offer door buster deals that offer special discounts for those fortunate few who waited in line for hours for the store to open.

A few years ago, a  worker in a popular store was killed in a stampede during a Black Friday sale. As the management were preparing to open the store doors at 5 a.m., the employee was pushed to the ground and then trampled to death as shoppers surged through the entrance to get to the deals. Dozens of people are injured each year by the crazed crowds who are too eager to get popular items.

Sounds pretty crazy doesn’t it?

So is it worth it?

Deals

Some people profess that they sometimes saw the same item they bought for much more after they left the Black Friday sales. They also have what is referred to as ‘Cyber Monday’ where all electronics are on sale.

What about here in Jamaica?

Well I noticed several companies offering one day only sales that correspond with the same period in America. They promised up to 50% discounts, however after doing some investigation online I found out that most of the items advertised only had a discount of between 15%- 20%.  When I contacted a representative of the company she said  that the sale was up to 50% but not on every item in the store.

So consumers must remember that spending too much money at this time of the year will result in a new year that’s not so happy.

So before you rush out to shop think carefully about the item and your budget. If you don’t you might be permanently in the dark because you could not pay your bills!

What’s your take? Let me hear from you!

Teri Ann Renee Paisley

Gleaner online writer

Tags: black friday deals, gimmicks, sales