to feel enormously irritated by 'black friday'

[holdyourown]

I mean what even is it. Yet more US imported nonsense imo

YABU - it suits the retail establishment a lot which is why they're running with it.

So what if it started off as an American tradition?

YANBU I bet all the retailers websites will crash as well.

Couldn't care less.

Yanbu. I have a bit of a spending problem and it heightens at this time of year. Any store I've ever bought anything from in the past has emailed me today (I've had TWENTY emails in total) telling me about Black Friday deals or giving me a 20-50% discount code. I've finished buying my Christmas stuff now, this is NOT what I need. Temptation to spend money I really don't have and also really don't need to spend because it's an utter bargain... I'm going to try and avoid touching my phone at all tomorrow to stop any ridiculous impulsive buys.

It's a terrible American tradition to import, the annual day humans turn into animals and fight each other sometimes literally to the death over inanimate objects. It's really quite sad.

Black Friday is black for our economy
Retailers selling stuff below cost
Manufacturers selling at cost
Consumers expecting everything cheap
No one buys full price ever, so more retailers big and small join in for fear of being left out
No money in system
= shops close

It was horrendous last year in asda. I was heavily pregnant and trying to get a few food bits in before DS2's imminent arrival, so I thought if be smart and go at 8.30am then have breakfast in the cafe - totally forgetting it was Black Friday. I've never seen anything like it. People just ramming stuff in their trolleys. I overheard one woman say "what is this?" while shoving said mystery item in her trolley because it had 60%off . A man was lamenting to someone he stopped to chat to that the discounted sound bars had all gone, and she got one out of her trolley (she had 2), gave it to him and said "oh you have this one, I'm not really bothered. Don't know why I got them really". It's consumerism gone berserk.

I ended up abandoning the shopping and went back the next day.

Black Fridays are all over the place. Its as if black is the new...black..

Don't mind its good to save a bit of money.

I have a mate who is manager of a Halfords. He'd already been sworn at twice by customers before the doors even opened this morning.

And the police were called to a Tesco's in Cardiff.

What are people like? They're told they should go mad for bargains and they do. It's revolting. And what sleepdodger said.

YANBU

YANBU - a horrible example of consumerism gone crazy and a complete waste of police resources, with grown people fighting over things. I hope the big stores are being told to pay for the policing?

They're told they should go mad for bargains and they do

90% of me agrees, but then I've got enough money not to worry about paying full price. I can understand people on low incomes getting excited about their only opportunity to buy things most of us take for granted.

I'm ignoring it. People will end up panicking and buying things they don't need because it won't be as cheap the next day. I'm saving my panic buying for December 23rd, much more festive!

Bloody hell - just went onto the Argos website for something (nothing to do with Black Friday) and they are limiting the number of people going onto their site. WTAF? Are we now not supposed to shop normally on the last Friday of November???

It annoys me we have to copy everything the Americans do, schools proms anyone??

It's disguising and makes me ashamed to work in marketing even though I have nothing to do with it in my job. It brings out the very worst traits in human beings and undermines social values for what? A piece of shit entry level TV in Asda for £20 off

As someone who spends her life rummaging in charity shops, jumble sales , house clearance auctions and carboots, it makes my teeth itch at the thought of paying retail prices for anything.

I'm just back from Tesco and Argos. Tesco was busy but not drastically busy. My friend does security at a Tesco near here and police were called last night, it was so bad. Argos was packed though but to be fair to them, they kept the queue moving quickly.

Two things bug me about it.

1. Yet another import of American traditions that have no cultural significance in the UK. If it makes sense in the US all well and good - but we don't need to import them all (we don't celebrate French Independence Day so why bother with Thanksgiving, or Halloween or ....).

1. Yet another marketing exercise to con people in frantically buying stuff they don't need because it is "cheap" - but probably not actually all that cheap.

Ho Hum.

It's made me not shop today! I was going to go to Bristol this morning for a mooch and John Lewis and then pick DH up from the airport but I decided not to bothe. Couldn't face it.

Need a few supermarket bits so could go go Sainsburys but might just pop to the Co-Op.

And I've deleted all the Black Friday emails I got.

I blame Amazon. They started it here a few years ago and all the other retailers are following suit. Presumably partly because they were losing out.

It's horrible though.

Really feel for anyone working in retail today.

I had an apointment near town this morning so popped in afterwards, I took one look at the crowds and left, it's ridiculous.
DS was knocked over by a shopper who didn't even acknowledge him.

Had the police at the door of the Co-op at 630 this morning... to warn us that the local asda car park was full and we might get a spill over....

we don't celebrate French Independence Day so why bother with Thanksgiving

YY to this.

Halloween wasn't invented by Americans it's an ancient celtic festival of harvest and the beginning of winter shut down, called Samhain, when the dead and living are their closest in the year. It was adopted (corrupted) by the church and used to celebrate all souls and all saints.

Trick or treating is American though.

Black Friday is the post thanksgiving spendathon that's definitely imported from the US: it ruffles feathers with me as supersized American monoculture colonisation is very unappealing.

I don't celebrate thanksgiving as I didn't arrive in America, liquidate the indigenous population and rely on killing some massive bird to feed me, as I didn't want to adopt the (heathen and thus inferior) Native American ways.

Black Friday represents a long shadow of that genocide to me.

It doesn't bother me in the slightest. I think DH has managed to get a couple of bargains.
I have managed to do normal shopping today and avoid it all. No difference really to any other sale. I'm always amazed at the number of people who queue for the Next new year Sale for hours. I just couldn't be bothered.
I do feel feel sorry for shop staff though.

I thought I was going to avoid it entirely until I opened my emails this morning. Eleven Black Friday messages, all hoping I might somehow be persuaded to buy something. Straight to the trash, I'm afraid.

Today's shopping has been a book I ordered last week from my lovely local bookshop, plus a pot of plain yogurt and two bags of satsumas from Waitrose.

Tescos at midnight in the scrum for a TV? No thank you.