It’s The Post-Friday-After-Black-Friday Sale! Monday, Dec. 9.
TIFFANY FITZPATRICK
The Signal
I celebrate the end of “Black Friday” season, do you?
It is a season – despite the name trickery that suggests it is only one day.
I think, at one point, Thanksgiving was a day where the housewives put away the dishes and went to bed early to rest as much as possible before the next day.
Then, at some earlier-than-usual hour Friday morning, they would dress and head out the door to a crowded mall for a day of guilt-free shopping, loaded with credit cards and Christmas lists, and no intention of coming home before the husband was there to unload the car. They might have brought a couple sale papers or coupons tucked into their purses, or maybe they jumped right in without hardly any pre-planning or thought.
Now there are consumers so good at doing Black Friday they have stores down on a schedule, maps to specific items tucked into their purses and pockets, along with carefully organized coupons and snacks they carry with them. Preparing for Black Friday shopping now is similar to preparing for an Olympic event – if Olympic athletes had to push all of their training for the year into two weeks.
Two weeks of headaches, scanning ad previews and playing with numbers, all to prepare for one day of long lines and less-than-cheerful company.
It’s like a family vacation, without the family.
There’s also the other side of the coin: those who studiously avoid any and all retail outlets for the entire weekend following Thanksgiving. This tactic takes preparation too, though, which could mean just as many headaches – or not, depending on how stocked your house already is.
Some years, the best part is when the weekend ends, which makes it very unique as weekends go.
Lately, though, it seems like every year Black Friday grows a little bit more and gets a little bit longer. Because, thank you, Internet.
In light of this, The Signal team is offering you the final issue of the semester for FREE.
That’s right, the seventh and final issue of the fall semester – a special edition on sustainability – is being given to students, faculty, staff and community members for absolutely no money down and no money later.
This limited-time offer is a 100 percent discount off the usual price, which is zero dollars, and available only while supplies last.
The issue hits stands today.
Enjoy!
