What if they called for Black Friday and nobody came?

November 27, 9:05 AMGadgets ExaminerDan Appleman

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Gadgets Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Everyone wants a piece of your pie

Probably no shopping season in decades has been more closely watched than this one. With the economy stuttering towards recession, everyone from retailers to economists are wondering if the American consumer will once again come to the rescue and boost the economy with unrestrained spending, or whether the uncertainty of the times will cause many to stay home.

There is an odd conflict of interest here. The interests of individuals don’t exactly match the interests of the economy at large. From an economic perspective, going out and spending is good – it keeps people employed and factories humming (though most of those factories now hum overseas). If retailers don’t report decent sales this weekend, the market will probably crash (again) on Monday. But from an individual perspective, spending a fortune on gadgets when your own job is on the line is not necessarily the wisest course.

As gadget examiner, I of course love gadgets (I did even when I was not an examiner). And one would think that I’d be joining the course at cheering you on to go out and spend like crazy on Black Friday. But I won’t. In fact: here are some reasons why it might make a great deal of sense to stay home this Friday:

• Family time. U.S. workers have fewer vacation days than almost any industrialized country. If you’re lucky enough to have Friday off, do you really want to spend it fighting crowds at a mall? That’s hardly quality family time (unless your family loves shopping, in which case – go for it). Stay home. Rent a movie. Have some fun.
• The deals might get better. We’re so used to inflation that it’s hard to adjust to the idea of deflation – prices have been dropping. Gas costs half of what it did a few months ago. Food prices haven’t dropped much “officially”, but more and more staples are regularly on sale. The dollar is strong, making imports cheaper. Gadgets tend to get cheaper anyway – a weakening economy accelerates that process. If the economy continues to weaken, as most experts expect, prices will probably continue to drop. Tomorrow’s Black Friday may be followed by a month of blacker Fridays and a January of post holiday blowout sales.
• Though the term “Cyber-Monday” is really just marketing hype, online shopping has come of age. Those of you who read my column know that I’m a big fan of Amazon.com. Regardless of whether you actually shop there or not, it’s a great resource for information – especially pricing information, as there are enough third party sellers on the site so you can quickly determine a realistic street price for most products. Ebay is a great resource as well, as is froogle.com. Yes, you may get a better deal on something on Black Friday by being first in line at a store at 5:00am – but is it really worth it? And will you be able to resist the impulse buys along the way (that is why they offer limited quantity super-sales – to get you in the store)?

For those of you who love Black Friday – go for it. My article Black Friday: Guide to the Guides will help you to prepare and get the best possible deals.

As for me? I’m sleeping in.