Why I won't read any (more) leaked Black Friday ads
Posted
Nov 14 2008, 01:52 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
When my dear friend Linda Billington was a little girl, she indulged in a bit of logical deduction: If there was no Santa Claus, then her parents had been buying those presents. Since they had a small house, there were only a few places where presents could be hidden.
You guessed it. She went looking for gifts, and she found gifts. Unwrapped gifts.
Worst. Christmas. Ever.
See what happens when you stop believing in Santa?
Knowing that story, I should have declined to read any leaked Black Friday ads. But noooo, I had to go and click on a site that promised me a peek at the Nov. 28 Walgreens ad.
I was sorry I did. And I won't be reading any others.
Big meal, giant newspaper
First, let me say that yes, I know that Black Friday is also "Buy Nothing Day" and that a lot of people, including our blog partner J.D. Roth of Get Rich Slowly, make a conscious decision not to shop then. I understand their feelings, and generally I share them -- I think consumerism in general and holiday shopping in particular have gotten way out of hand.
But I shop Black Friday the way I shop the rest of the year: Find the best deal, buy it, go home. Those door-buster prices are a boon to anyone who needs to keep to a budget. The point is not to get carried away and overbuy.
I really like going through all the ads on Thanksgiving Day. It's the fattest newspaper of the year, to be perused after the fattiest meal of the year. Once I've eaten turkey plus trimmings plus Pepcid, refrigerated the leftovers and washed the dishes, I sit down to cruise the ads.
My daughter, who's also a personal-finance blogger, goes through them with me. I ask her to point out any items she and her husband would want. Although I've already done most of my shopping, I might buy them one more gift on Black Friday.
But that gift won't come from Walgreens. I've seen what they're selling and none of it thrilled me -- and I wish I didn't know that.
No surprises
Yes, it's ridiculous to be bothered by the fact that one store isn't selling anything I want. But reading the circulars is part of my yearly ritual. Previewing that ad felt like skipping to the end of a mystery novel -- you just don't enjoy the book as much once you know whodunit.
Maybe you're the kind of person who wants to know this sort of thing. If so, a ton of sites exist to delight you. Search for them, if you must, by clicking here. For shopping tips, see "How to score Black Friday deals."
Me, I'm going to hold off until Nov. 27. I'll be the one sitting at her dining room table, dressed in her eatin' pants (drawstring sweats) and wielding a Sharpie, in search of the best deals for the least money. And studiously avoiding the Walgreens circular, because I already know how it ends.
