It has stood as a symbol of American consumerism for decades: the tradition of "Black Friday" shopping. It has been taught almost as a civic duty for men, women and children to rise early the day after Thanksgiving and run up a credit card balance that is not fully paid down until spring of the next year. Like most years in recent time, this day ended tragically for at least one person trampled by the morning crowds.
Our holiday shopping lists are remarkably short this year, so it there was little reason to join the morning crowds. We also read the papers and watch the news, so we knew going into today that deep discounts were unlikely as most retailers have already found their pricing floor. The day began with a trip to Costco for my wife's glasses; her FSA card balance expires at the end of the year. Nothing else seemed to jump out at us, so we headed to the mall.
Opry Mills traffic was tough, but still reasonably easy to navigate if one was patient enough not to give into road rage. We walked through the mall quickly, purchased some hairbands for my wife and then had lunch. All told, we escaped without parting ways with more than $25, hardly enough to stimulate any sort of economic growth.
After coffee and buying envelopes at Staples, we went to the Rivergate Target. Again, there were crowds, but not nearly the volume one would expect on a day that many plan out as if it were in a theater of combat. I am not sure what this means for retailers as a whole, but I doubt few are going to have good news to report on Monday.
As for me, I am relaxing at home and trying to figure out the rest of the extended weekend.