Friday, 26 November 2010
So this is the day when people trample each other at 4:00 AM in order to save 10% on a wide-screen TV. Well, I hope they had a good time.
I know some people make it a specific point to not buy anything on this day, and I think that’s great. I’ve never actually forced myself to not shop on this day, but I do my best to avoid it. For one thing, I definitely don’t need to begin ‘celebrating’ baby Jesus’ birthday today. I can buy him a gift another day. For another thing, even if there were some things I needed to buy today, I would rather wait until the crowds aren’t so crazy.
Actually, though, did you know this hasn’t been the busiest shopping day of the year for a long time? Yeah, retailers just want you to think that, because then people with “Shop til You Drop” shirts think it’s some special day that they need to take part in and people like me know to stay away. According to THIS SITE, there were several days each year from 1996-2001 that were busier. But now, thanks to stores opening up long before dawn, Black Friday has become a national holiday.
When I worked in retail, we were forced to follow the hours dictated by the mall. This was extremely stupid for an eyeglass store, as there was no notable increase in our sales on that day. Well, maybe a little, but it was just like a weekend day. I would say it was just as busy a Labor Day, Memorial Day, and Independence Day. So, yeah, we’d open our doors at eight in the morning, stare out at the crowds, and sit around chatting for hours. Finally, at about 9:30, someone would come in and need their nosepads replaced. Yep, that was worth it.
Saturday, 27 November 2010
This has been another great weekend for us getting stuff done around the house. Today I actually ventured out into the world of retail; Owen and I went to Super America (I thought a bottle of Heet and a new tank of gas would shut off that damn engine light) and Northern Brewer. Apart from that, though, I once again stayed in the safety of my own house.
We did some laundry, lots of cleaning, Jennifer made an awesome pot pie dinner, we watched an episode of the Muppet Show, and made headway on several projects.
This evening, while I was reading a book, Owen peered over my shoulder and, seeing a picture of a woman in a burka, asked, “Is that Darth Vader?” I laughed, and then I explained that there’s a big difference: One believes in some hokey ‘force’ that binds us and surrounds us and the other one is from Star Wars.
I drove almost to Canada (Grand Marais) to avoid the Black Friday of Death. It was quiet and beautiful there. A co-worker today regaled us of her Black Friday of Death adventure. After staying up most of the night in some crazy line of similarly minded heavily bundled crazy people she got to SHOP. OH BOY!! She saved a few bucks, froze her ass, deprived herself of sleep and food, fell asleep, drove into a snow (ice) bank, broke her radiator and A/C condenser, lost all of her coolant, freon, and transmission fluid, and had to spend over $500 to repair the car, using all junkyard parts. She can’t wait to go again next year!
And the attraction is???
On a somewhat chemical note, HEET is essentially isopropyl alcohol, which has very similar water dissolving properties to ethanol. Our gasoline now has approximately 10% ethanol, so buying HEET to reduce gas-line freeze-up or remove (or actually dissolve) water, really is a thing of the past.
Mike, that’s a great story. I think it epitomizes Black Friday. At least your co-worker didn’t get trampled (http://articles.cnn.com/2010-11-26/us/new.york.shoppers_1_black-friday-shoppers-target-plans-guests-and-team-members?_s=PM:US)
Regarding my car, when ‘funny’ things happen to my cars, there are only a handful of things I know how to do/try. Now you’ve taken one of them away from me! Is there any reason why HEET is sold, then?
I did not think HEET was still available… It has absolutely no purpose in MN. Maybe some of the old traditions die hard! Thanks for the link to the NY shoppers. I so don’t get it…