Yearly Black Friday Madness

The day after millions of people have filled their stomachs with delicious food on Thanksgiving Day and said thanks to everyone and everything that's important to them they celebrate a different kind of holiday known to all as Black Friday or as I'd like to think of it Black Friday Madness.

People wake up in the wee hours of the morning and drive down to their favorite stores in order to take advantage of super Black Friday deals only available the day after Thanksgiving, with the best deal probably available for a few hours in the early morning. Some even camp out near their favorite stores during the night so they can be the first ones to enter the store when it opens its doors to deal hungry shoppers.

During Black Friday Madness people become beasts caring only about saving loads of money on things they want or need and on things they can clearly live without. As soon as the store doors open and Black Friday sales are in full swing, people become marathon runners, dashing at the speed of light for the isles that display their items of choice, or those items that catch their eye simply because they are highly discounted and the price tags are very attractive. They push, shove, hit, walk over and bad mouth other shoppers, while knocking down everything in sight, just to take advantage of the Black Friday specials and to get their hands on material things that are most likely of little sentimental value or are not that important to begin with.

I have never turned into one of these crazy people and I don't understand why others turn into them year after year. I know that not everyone is fortunate enough to afford to buy certain items, especially those that have a hefty price tag, and that Black Friday is the best time to save on and obtain those items, but is that a reason to become a maniac? Is that reason enough to create a mess, to knock things over or damage something in the store? Is that reason enough to hurt or kill other people? Yes, people have hurt and even killed others just to get an item into their hands!

If you really want to get something for yourself on Black Friday online shopping is the best way to go. You don't have to travel anywhere. You don't have to stand in long lines or subject yourself to bodily harm inflicted upon you by others. You don't have to hear all the nasty comments thrown your way. You don't have to haul all those heavy shopping bags. And you don't have to wake with or even before the rooster. All you need is a credit card with a high enough credit limit and access to the Internet. Sit back in a comfortable chair, sip a steaming cup of delicious coffee and shop till your heart's content. Heck, shop till your credit card is maxed out if you'd like.

Of course some Black Friday deals are only available in physical stores so online shopping is not an option. In this case you have no choice but to subject yourself to Black Friday Madness. The question is - is it really worth it?

Black Friday allows us to save big on the things we need and the things we don't. In turn it also results in a big boost for retailers. When we shop for items to take advantage of super deals and are driven to get what we want we end up helping out retailers/businesses financially. Their sales go through the roof and are probably the highest they ever get throughout the entire year. So, while we save BIG retailers profit BIG. It's a win-win for all of us but it doesn't always end well. And the experiences of shopping on Black Friday are not always so pleasant or injury free - when others hurt us (physically or emotionally); when we wait in long lines (in the cold); when we run for the shelves only to find that the items we wanted to buy are SOLD OUT; and when those shiny plastic cards of ours have gone over the limit...!

What are your experiences when shopping on Black Friday? Please share them by commenting below. Looking forward to reading your responses!!!