Black Friday, I participated in exactly one in my entire life. That was enough. I got a few bargains but was unable to get most of of what I wanted. Why? Because the Black Friday advertisements while truthful, were less than honest. The great deals are generally for a limited supply of a particular product. They hope to get similar products sold at substantially higher prices sold.
Black Friday Frenzy
When one watches otherwise smart people’s behavior after being primed for specials, it is clear that Black Friday presents a certain modicum of mind control by our retailers, our corporate beings. Advertisers are doing nothing wrong. They are doing what’s done in an economic system we decided to embrace. — an economic system based on manufactured and unnecessary consumption to keep ever expanding growth in profits for the few.
Retailers know that they can control behavior with these types of tactics. It is proven successful year after year.
I believe one hundred percent in free enterprise. I do not however like the form of marketing that promotes a particular behavior based on techniques that at times deceive the customers. After customers drive fairly long distances and camp out for hours, they are unlikely to leave the store empty handed.
The reality though is that customers are really the ones empowered. They have over the years refused to exercise that power. Why? Because many have not learned how to exercise their innate power. The same applies in politics where we all have one vote. Instead of working together to stymie the power of the few that use their wealth to effect policies, we allow apathy to keep us home. Or we allow control of our minds to vote against our own interests.
Just think, if we decided to stop acquiescing to retailers, if we decided to ignore the nudges and shop at our convenience instead of shopping on some manufactured date, we would get more honest pricing. The power in this country is not with business, it’s with the people. When people start to actualize their power things will change. Business and politics are there to serve us all and no the other way around.