This is an opinion piece. The views are the author’s own.
Black Friday is Nov. 27 this year. If you have been following the ads, you could be forgiven for thinking it started weeks ago. It more or less did.
Target runs an “Early Black Friday” sale Nov. 5–7. Walmart has one Nov. 12–15, then a second round Nov. 23–29, according to Shop TODAY’s roundup. Amazon already had its October sale. That is not a day of deals. It is a month-long countdown clock, and I think shoppers are the ones paying for it.
The Deadline Is the Product
A one-day sale used to be a reason to wake up early. A rolling series of “last chance” events is something else: a way to keep you feeling behind. Every banner says the best price is today, and every new banner says the same thing next week.
That pressure is the point. It nudges people to buy before they have decided what they actually need. Holiday shoppers are already stretched: a recent survey we covered found that half of holiday shoppers expect to borrow to pay for it. Fake urgency is a bad fit for people who are already watching their budgets.
A Better Plan: Pick Your Day, Then Stop Looking
Retailers will not slow down, so the discipline has to come from us. Here is the rule I would suggest:
- Write the list first. Name the specific items and the price you would happily pay, before you open a single email.
- Choose one shopping window, whether that is Nov. 27, Cyber Monday on Nov. 30 or a quiet weekday in December.
- Skip everything else. If an item is not on the list, a “doorbuster” does not make it a need.
Will you miss a deal or two? Probably. But a deal on something you did not plan to buy is not a saving. It is just a purchase with a nice sticker.
The Real Gift Is Not Being Hounded
Gift-giving does not need a countdown. Thoughtful presents rarely come from a flash sale, and the ones that do are fine without the hype. (Yes, even gift cards have their problems.)
So this year, let the sales run without you. Decide what matters, buy it once, and spend the rest of November on Thanksgiving instead of a stopwatch.
More on Contoh
- Prime Big Deal Days Drove $9.86 Billion in Online Sales, With Shoppers Stocking Up on Basics
- Holiday Shoppers Plan to Spend, but Half Expect to Borrow to Do It
- Gift Cards Are a Lazy Present, and a Risky One