View Full Version : Black Friday In Name Only
Why does Black Friday now essentially drag out over virtually an entire week rather than just a single day?
Why doesn't said event just get rebranded with a more fitting name rather than specific to a certain day of the week, which is now irrelevant given BF is no longer solely on that particular set day/date?
Pamplemousse
28-11-20, 18:46
Why does Black Friday now essentially drag out over virtually an entire week rather than just a single day?
Why doesn't said event just get rebranded with a more fitting name rather than specific to a certain day of the week, which is now irrelevant given BF is no longer solely on that particular set day/date?
I still struggle to see why we have a Black Friday in the UK, when we don't have Thanksgiving?
Why does Black Friday now essentially drag out over virtually an entire week rather than just a single day?
Why doesn't said event just get rebranded with a more fitting name rather than specific to a certain day of the week, which is now irrelevant given BF is no longer solely on that particular set day/date?
BF is basically a swizz according to Which..
98% of products they looked at which were on Black Friday 'deals' were found to be available for the same price or cheaper in the 6 months after the sales, and also that 85% of items had been the same price or cheaper in the six months before BF.
So it might as well be re-labelled as ' Ripping You Off Black Friday', or 'Dick Turpin is Alive and Well - Black Friday'.:yesyes:
I think in general people are cottoning on to the BF charade. Haven't we got Cyber Monday to endure as well? What on earth is that meant to represent?
It's all very confusing to me lol
It's all very confusing to me lol
hahaha i am confused too :blush: All I know is that we get discounts :noangel:
I recall a few years back the BF thing often resulted in in-store disturbances on both sides of the Atlantic (but most notably in the USA), with customers stampeding for many items, which thankfully (at least here in the UK), appear to have quietened down over more recent years.
I wonder if certain individuals, especially the dregs of society, happened to revel in the excitement of all the scrums, pack mentality and general tribalistic nature of the BF events? Very reminiscent of football hooliganism, and the like IMO.
It's called Black Friday because in business, it means making a profit and staying out of the red (loss and debt) businesses want to be in the Black, that is how they did their ledgers back in the day, profit earning was written in black ink and loss was written in red ink it has nothing to do with the color of someone's skin.
MyNameIsTerry
01-12-20, 07:59
Well I'm saving a few quid on pressies so https://yoursmiles.org/tsmile/disgust/t9406.gif:biggrin:
It's true though, you do have to check the deals as they can look inviting but aren't too dissimilar to other regular ones. To be honest it's not how it was a few years ago. It's dressed up as a big thing but it's no different than many other sale periods. Great for some tech but not so discounted on other things.
I recall a few years back the BF thing often resulted in in-store disturbances on both sides of the Atlantic (but most notably in the USA), with customers stampeding for many items, which thankfully (at least here in the UK), appear to have quietened down over more recent years.
I wonder if certain individuals, especially the dregs of society, happened to revel in the excitement of all the scrums, pack mentality and general tribalistic nature of the BF events? Very reminiscent of football hooliganism, and the like IMO.
Gawd the “dregs of society” :mad:
Well I'm saving a few quid on pressies so https://yoursmiles.org/tsmile/disgust/t9406.gif:biggrin:
It's true though, you do have to check the deals as they can look inviting but aren't too dissimilar to other regular ones. To be honest it's not how it was a few years ago. It's dressed up as a big thing but it's no different than many other sale periods. Great for some tech but not so discounted on other things.
I agree with your line about 'it's dressed up as a big thing', as with many annual events nowadays, it's just another 'hyped-up' event and trying to outdo previous years, especially profit-wise.
Bit like the X-Factor, which thankfully (IMO) has been given the boot this year.
When I first logged onto this site this morning on my smartphone, I was bombarded with yet another banner advertising Black Friday deals, so it's seemingly been dragging on for more than a week now. FGS, just put the whole BF thing back in the loft till the end of November 2021. And better still, either make it just one day (Friday) or if it has to be over multiple days, change the name of the event to something more relevant!
MyNameIsTerry
01-12-20, 16:04
Well it was Cyber Monday yesterday so at a few mode days the deals will show.
I've been looking for a shaver for my dad as his is playing up. The same discounts are showing as over the weekend, the only difference being the black Friday label has gone. So these are deals they may do any time as prices fluctuate and newer model's come out.
If you are lucky you can drop in reduced to clear shavers in Tesco throughout the year. It's how I got is current one a few years back at about 70% off.
We're already being visually assaulted by poxy ads for Black Friday randomly popping up on here (I'm viewing this site on an Android smartphone BTW).
Is it now mutating into a month-long event, let alone a week-long event, hence the thread title 'Black Friday In Name Only'?
Ahhh yes, 1st world problems eh LB? :whistles: That's capitalism folks. I'm waiting for the thread about Christmas decorations already in the stores weeks before Halloween ;)
FMP
We're on fairy lights instead, FMP.
I don't get the big deal, to be honest. I keep an eye out for cheap beading supplies and don't buy things I don't want.
Pamplemousse
31-10-21, 12:37
This grumpy old Brit wants to know why the Hell we "celebrate" what is essentially an American import anyway - we don't celebrate Thanksgiving, so why the Hell do we have "Black Friday" other than as another excuse to celebrate greed and buy consumer goods we don't actually need?
Because we're a capitalist society. It's a shame, but change is inevitable.
Honestly, though, who are we to decide what other people do with their money? I don't go nuts but I do look out for things I've wanted but haven't been able to justify buying.
It's more the fact that Black Friday still refers to a specific day but has strayed from it's literal meaning over the past 3-4 years or so by extending over several days or even weeks that really irks me.
Of course, I don't really care as to whether or not people take part in it as it's still a free country after all, but like I said in this thread last year, how about changing the name to something more apt like 'Bargain Week/Month', perhaps, rather than continuing to use branding that is now essentially beyond its original meaning.
Plus I'm no full-on 'woke'/pro-cancel culture either!
really irks me.
trite (https://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?245781-All-things-trite)
adjective
(of a remark, opinion, or idea) overused and consequently of little importance; lacking originality or freshness.
Just saying :whistles: If poo like this and the other things you post about bother you, that's on you. I'd wager most, like myself, don't give a hoot nor allow it to occupy my mind or 'irk' me.
FMP
What does black Friday have to do with being woke or cancel culture anyway? They're totally unrelated concepts.
I'm sorry if you're stressed out, but maybe try redirecting your energy towards something positive?
I think Lenco is troubled by the fact that it's misleading to specify a certain day of the week as regards "Black Friday" when it is in fact a glorified spell of sales prior to Christmas. it jars with him because it's not just a named day. It isn't right therefore.
It may be hard for some of us to appreciate the impact of this and why should it matter..but it does to Lenco and it would do to my son as well.
I get it, I think, I just wish it could be kept to one thread rather than half a dozen.
I think Lenco is troubled by the fact that it's misleading to specify a certain day of the week as regards "Black Friday" when it is in fact a glorified spell of sales prior to Christmas. it jars with him because it's not just a named day. It isn't right therefore.
It may be hard for some of us to appreciate the impact of this and why should it matter..but it does to Lenco and it would do to my son as well.
That said, what can be said to alleviate the distress this causes LB or any of the other 'trite' subjects that cause him distress? The reality is it doesn't matter nor does it affect anyone in a negative way. On the contrary, the added days and deals are actually beneficial for those who are shopping. I recall when it was just one day or a weekend. Now, that's extended and better for everyone. I also recall when Christmas stuff started the day after Thanksgiving and like I said, Christmas stuff is already out in most of the stores! Heck, I got an email for Black Friday deals last week and found something for my wife for Christmas ;)
FMP
MyNameIsTerry
31-10-21, 18:33
What does black Friday have to do with being woke or cancel culture anyway? They're totally unrelated concepts.
I'm sorry if you're stressed out, but maybe try redirecting your energy towards something positive?
I think he meant he isn't suggesting cancellation, more rebranding, therefore it's not cancel culture on his part.
MyNameIsTerry
31-10-21, 18:36
This grumpy old Brit wants to know why the Hell we "celebrate" what is essentially an American import anyway - we don't celebrate Thanksgiving, so why the Hell do we have "Black Friday" other than as another excuse to celebrate greed and buy consumer goods we don't actually need?
Perhaps they can raise it at COP? Black Friday increasing our carbon footprints? :winks:
Cancel culture refers to people being cancelled or de-platformed, though, for saying something offensive.
Pamplemousse
31-10-21, 19:53
Perhaps they can raise it at COP? Black Friday increasing our carbon footprints? :winks:
You may joke Terry, but we have a WEEE skip at work: and what gets put in there... :scared15:
Seriously - tech "stuff" has become so complex and has so much bang for your buck that it is (mostly) impossible to repair, and when manufacturers actively pursue a path of replace rather than repair, we are using up resources at an alarming rate.
It does have to stop: do people really need to replace their three year old telly with something even bigger, just to impress their neighbours? I've only just got a flat screen (secondhand, of course) because I can't be arsed to fix my CRT at the moment...
MyNameIsTerry
01-11-21, 03:40
Cancel culture refers to people being cancelled or de-platformed, though, for saying something offensive.
Yes, but cancel culture has morphed into cancellation of everything for anything. People use it beyond it's correct definition and that's what I took Lenco to be doing. For some it's moved on from what causes offence to simply what someone dislikes.
MyNameIsTerry
01-11-21, 03:43
You may joke Terry, but we have a WEEE skip at work: and what gets put in there... :scared15:
Seriously - tech "stuff" has become so complex and has so much bang for your buck that it is (mostly) impossible to repair, and when manufacturers actively pursue a path of replace rather than repair, we are using up resources at an alarming rate.
It does have to stop: do people really need to replace their three year old telly with something even bigger, just to impress their neighbours? I've only just got a flat screen (secondhand, of course) because I can't be arsed to fix my CRT at the moment...
Yes, I agree. I'm not sure it will ever happen without forcing it...and the haves will always have what they want.
I'm not someone who upgrades unless I have to but when I was younger I did get sucked into some chasing of tech with being in the mobile phone industry. These days it breaks and gets replaced.
You may joke Terry, but we have a WEEE skip at work: and what gets put in there... :scared15:
Seriously - tech "stuff" has become so complex and has so much bang for your buck that it is (mostly) impossible to repair, and when manufacturers actively pursue a path of replace rather than repair, we are using up resources at an alarming rate.
It does have to stop: do people really need to replace their three year old telly with something even bigger, just to impress their neighbours? I've only just got a flat screen (secondhand, of course) because I can't be arsed to fix my CRT at the moment...
That's exactly what I've been thinking for the past few years, let alone the past year or so since climate change really started to become a mega-hot topic.
I've been reading several articles online recently about the concepts of 'rights to repair' and 'mend and make do', which have mostly disappeared since around the 90s when most brands started prioritising quantity over quality and also started jumping on the 'Made in China' bandwagon en masse, both at the expense of employment in the previous countries of manufacture, and also the planet with the extra planes and ships, whose exhausts cause even further pollution.
From a personal point, I have often been gutted when a favourite 'modern' electrical/electronic device has had to be scrapped due to being virtually impossible to repair (a typical example of 'planned obsolescence' from the manufacturers/designers) and having to replace it with a (usually) inferior item, and thus the cycle continues.
Just design and manufacture devices better and more easily repairable in the first place, which would hopefully help to reverse the 'throwaway' culture that has evolved over the past 30-odd years or so.
I think Lenco is troubled by the fact that it's misleading to specify a certain day of the week as regards "Black Friday" when it is in fact a glorified spell of sales prior to Christmas. it jars with him because it's not just a named day. It isn't right therefore.
It may be hard for some of us to appreciate the impact of this and why should it matter..but it does to Lenco and it would do to my son as well.
Totally correct, Pulisa.
I personally couldn't give a monkeys as to whether or not people partake in the BF events (which is by all means their choice), but as you say, it's the event still referring to a named day that has over more recent times strayed both before and beyond that specific day/date which really jars with me, when a more fitting title like 'Global Discount Week/Month' would be far better IMO.
'Black Friday' has also become just another 'buzzword' over the past few years.
MyNameIsTerry
01-11-21, 12:06
It has often become cheaper to buy than repair. You might spend £50 to repair something worth £100. It can become a false economy when other old parts could go wrong later compared to a fully new piece of equipment.
The opposite end of the scale being older cars. You car might only be worth £500 but when the clutch goes it's over £1000 to repair.
Always a pain in a crash too since your insurance will right it off leaving you having to spend far more on a newer car without even causing the accident. My GF had that problem and ended up getting it done herself without the insurance so she could keep her trusted car longer until she fancied upgrading to a newly new (she likes to run them until they're beyond help) and all because someone banged it on a car park at low speed.
MyNameIsTerry
01-11-21, 12:12
Just design and manufacture devices better and more easily repairable in the first place, which would hopefully help to reverse the 'throwaway' culture that has evolved over the past 30-odd years or so.
Where's the money in that for manufacturers? If everything lasted donkeys years, which would be good for the planet, their profits would be down.
In the elec business mechanical meters would last 30 years before needing recertification (replacement). Newer digitals were more 10-15 (PPMs towards the lower end of that). Progress...as pulisa would say, bring back the quill! :biggrin:
Where's the money in that for manufacturers? If everything lasted donkeys years, which would be good for the planet, their profits would be down.
In the elec business mechanical meters would last 30 years before needing recertification (replacement). Newer digitals were more 10-15 (PPMs towards the lower end of that). Progress...as pulisa would say, bring back the quill! :biggrin:
I guess that's the quandary many firms have found themselves in over the past 30-odd years or so, but new hasn't always meant better.
What's more, many of the iconic brand names we've all come to know and love over the years have long ceased to be the actual manufacturers of their products, now usually made by some anonymous third-party manufacturer in the Far East, and nothing to do with the original named firm, which kind of renders many brand names meaningless, as their logo badge can be stuck on the front of almost anything these days, regardless of the actual manufacturer.
Then again, many tell-tale signs are the basic shape, size and layout of certain items that are likely to be cast from the same moulds.
MyNameIsTerry
01-11-21, 12:40
I guess that's the quandary many firms have found themselves in over the past 30-odd years or so, but new hasn't always meant better.
What's more, many of the iconic brand names we've all come to know and love over the years have long ceased to be the actual manufacturers of their products, now usually made by some anonymous third-party manufacturer in the Far East, and nothing to do with the original named firm, which kind of renders many brand names meaningless, as their logo badge can be stuck on the front of almost anything these days, regardless of the actual manufacturer.
Then again, many tell-tale signs are the basic shape, size and layout of certain items that are likely to be cast from the same moulds.
I don't think it matters to much to firms, they want your money. If their products lasted longer they would sell less. There has to be a certain standard but really anyone selling a product wants you to come back to buy newer versions. So they just add bits on to tempt you to upgrade.
People tend not to know what their products are made of. There is a great deal of preference for Japanese, time tested motorbikes over the newer Chinese market. A great deal of the parts in a Japanese or German motorbike came from a Chinese plant. Often the same plant knocking out Chinese bikes under other licencing. Chinese bikes are becoming more reliable in recent years. Some say the Japanese control of Chinese output for their bikes kept the standard higher despite being in the same plants.
I don't think it matters to much to firms, they want your money. If their products lasted longer they would sell less. There has to be a certain standard but really anyone selling a product wants you to come back to buy newer versions. So they just add bits on to tempt you to upgrade.
People tend not to know what their products are made of. There is a great deal of preference for Japanese, time tested motorbikes over the newer Chinese market. A great deal of the parts in a Japanese or German motorbike came from a Chinese plant. Often the same plant knocking out Chinese bikes under other licencing. Chinese bikes are becoming more reliable in recent years. Some say the Japanese control of Chinese output for their bikes kept the standard higher despite being in the same plants.
I suppose it does depend on individual firms, as not everything that bears the words 'Made in the PRC' is crap, even though some historically reputable brands have shot themselves in the foot by going down the plasticrap route, regardless of country of manufacture.
But of course, as you say, it's more profitable for the companies, despite their often no longer being responsible for any defects, should they arise, apart from the odd exceptions like the Japanese and German motorbikes you mentioned above.
MyNameIsTerry
01-11-21, 13:09
I suppose it does depend on individual firms, as not everything that bears the words 'Made in the PRC' is crap, even though some historically reputable brands have shot themselves in the foot by going down the plasticrap route, regardless of country of manufacture.
But of course, as you say, it's more profitable for the companies, despite their often no longer being responsible for any defects, should they arise, apart from the odd exceptions like the Japanese and German motorbikes you mentioned above.
How little of Harley Davidson is made in America? A brand seen as iconically American.
Yes, cheaper for the consumer and more profitable for firms but sadly lost jobs for traditional industry. I can still remember how redundancy hit the pottery industry. But everyone wants everything cheaper. Progress has it's downsides.
Yeah, sometimes you don't need to buy top quality when all you need is the job done. And some would hide behind that traditional label to keep prices up, just think overpriced school clothes and how upset the old firms are we can now get reasonably priced clothing from the supermarkets.
How little of Harley Davidson is made in America? A brand seen as ironically American.
Yes, cheaper for the consumer and more profitable for firms but sadly lost jobs for traditional industry. I can still remember how redundancy hit the pottery industry. But everyone wants everything cheaper. Progress has it's downsides.
Yeah, sometimes you don't need to buy top quality when all you need is the job done. And some would hide behind that traditional label to keep prices up, just think overpriced school clothes and how upset the old firms are we can now get reasonably priced clothing from the supermarkets.
'Instant grat' and all that.
WiredIncorrectly
02-11-21, 09:52
Planned obsolescence first appeared with the invention of lightbulbs. Read more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoebus_cartel
Purposely making something ineffective over time to sell more of the same product is a discussing business model and it only exists for companies to keep making money off the consumer. Hello Apple.
Most of the big tech today will fail when it shouldn't. I have a Chromebook from 2014. It's so slow that it's impossible to use. So what I did was install Linux on it. Now it works blazing fast again. The reason why this Chromebook ran slow using ChromeOS is because Google did that on purpose.
I still keep getting ads for Black Friday deals popping up on my Android smartphone whilst viewing this site/forum, especially as the actual day has now passed.
I'm sick to the high teeth of it all now and don't want to see or hear the words 'Black Friday' again until November 2022, though I now accept that the BF campaign in itself is now a month-long thing, like it or not!
ETA, But I've just remembered, it's Cyber Monday tomorrow, so that's probably the reason why it's still hanging on over this weekend.
I get you, but money is one of my main sources of anxiety. I actually really like deals being around for a few days so I can pick and choose the things I really want without feeling stressed.
MyNameIsTerry
28-11-21, 10:13
The ads mess up browsing on my phone as they cause delays in loading. It makes the layout snap downwards. It's a nuisance because you have to wait or you click on a thread and find yourself in a different one.
Installed an adblocker and now it's fine. Try that?
I'm with Blue on the deals. I'm not usually looking for stuff but this year I am so it's a week to keep a look out.
It's probably healthier for people not to impulse purchase, I think. I buy beading patterns during the Black Friday period - they don't cost much, but they cost even less at half price. Having several days means that even working full time, I can go through the hundreds available and work out what I really want.
It's probably healthier for people not to impulse purchase, I think. I buy beading patterns during the Black Friday period - they don't cost much, but they cost even less at half price. Having several days means that even working full time, I can go through the hundreds available and work out what I really want.
I guess there's far more serious issues in the world to be uptight over right now (e.g, the Omicron variant) and all things Black Friday pale into relative insignificance by comparison.
Anyway, I've vented my spleen more than enough on this matter for the past year now, so case closed!
Just one final word in this thread; one ad that does keep popping up that I don't mind is Vrbo (pronounced Verr-bow).
Although I'm in no great rush to get away on holiday anywhere in the near future, I just happen to find said brand's logo interesting and amusing, especially as it's written in an eye-catching stripy italic font.
Surely my response to the above constitutes a kind of stoicism, or 'bittersweet'.
Just send Black Friday back to the US of A where it belongs ... along with all the other nonsense that has been shipped over here!
Heather1234
03-12-21, 00:27
Just send Black Friday back to the US of A where it belongs ... along with all the other nonsense that has been shipped over here!Oy. Most of us US of A-ers don't care for the nonsense either.
Sent from my SM-G960U1 using Tapatalk
I know I haven't posted in this thread for a couple of years now but whilst just replying to another thread on here, a 'Black Friday'-themed ad popped up on here that bears the words 'Black November' instead of 'Black Friday'.
Although I've been feeling less overwhelmed with seeing the words 'Black Friday' up in lights everywhere so far this year, my immediate thought was 'that's more like it at long last', as BF has now become almost a month-long event, at least in terms of endless ads all over the place.
Mind you, I've noticed less media reports about customers behaving like animals in stores during said event over more recent years (since about 2017), which was probably one of the main things that put me off the event in the first place.
Another Black Friday-related ad that popped up today on my phone whilst online referred to it as 'Black Week'.
Sounds like some of these 'entrepreneurs' spewing out these ads are now finally getting the gist at long last.
I personally thought the term 'Black Friday' was already outdated and well past its sell-by date by the late 2010s as it spanned well before just a singular named day/date by then.
Yes, things have changed over the years. Still, Black Friday and the other things it has evolved into is a crazy time. The wife and I had to head out to pick up some items we had ordered from a couple different stores yesterday and it was a zoo out there. Now there's Cyber Monday and other names for sales that retailers are advertising It is what it is :shrug: If you need something, now you have more time to shop and don't even have to leave your house.
FMP
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