Now that Black Friday shopping officially starts at 12:01 a.m. at many retail locations, it of course makes sense that some bargain hunters are now advancing the theory that the best traditional day-after Thanksgiving shopping deals are to be found … before Thanksgiving.
The implication people might miss something before it ever happens is part of our high-tech, high-speed culture. Or it might just be really good advertising. Black Friday has its own Web site, after all. And BlackFriday.com is tweeting the heck out of Black Friday on Twitter. Here is the most recent tweet: “2 famlies set world record for Black Friday line at Best Buy &are rewarded w/ iPads: http://bit.ly/BestBuyBFRecord Lined up 9 days early!”
The link to the BlackFriday.com blog entry, written by “Dustin,” doesn’t say what the families hoped to buy by being the first in the line; apparently the competition was just to be the first in line.
(And the blog isn’t just all business and shopping. Last year, Dustin wrote about a couple who first met in a Black Friday line six years ago and got married Thanksgiving night while in line at a Best Buy in Allen Park Michigan.)
Another group, simply “BlackFriday” without the .com, is also on Twitter, sending short, timely messages about shopping specials. (Twitter is a rich source of instantly updated information, according to Twitter.) For example: “Jessica Simpson and Martha Stewart wake up Black Friday shoppers at 3:30 am in Macy’s ads. http://bit.ly/bx9HVW”
So we have Twitter message which takes us to a blog that features video of a … TV commerical. High tech, indeed.
Actually, regardless of the time of year, it’s reassuring that old-fashioned sales techniques, such as coupons — whether cut from the paper or printed off a computer — remain a shopper’s best friend.
It’s also reassuring that retail stores have integrated the Internet so seamlessly into their operations. It wasn’t long ago that there was much hand-wringing over the idea online shopping would bring the end to “brick and mortar” stores. As it turns out, one didn’t replace the other; they actually work together brilliantly. Add in old-fashioned catalogs mailed to homes, and email alerts sent to computers, and retailers have come up with a successful and symbiotic network to reach customers and let them shop how they like.
Perhaps some of the fake frenzy regarding Black Friday is due to the fact that it’s never been easier to shop. Those deals that the uber duper bargain hunters say can be had before Thanksgiving, can also be found after Thanksgiving. Even days after.
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