I like this time of the year! There is something special about Christmas time; even the frigid temperature in Michigan does not feel that bad in December! It is time to get together with family and friends, it is time to slow down the pace of our lives, and it is time to reflect what had happened during the year and to wrap things up and getting ready for the New Year!
I was in the Los Angeles area on vacation during Thanksgiving time and drove by a line of people with tents, lawn chairs, and sleeping bags near a Best Buy store. The first thought that crossed my mind was that they were on strike against the store, but soon I realized that they were lining up for the Black Friday sales, days and hours before the start of the sales. All of sudden I felt that the peacefulness and tranquility of the Christmas season seem to disappear since there was nothing slow, easy and nice about Black Friday sales.
I did a little research and found out the term “Black Friday” originated in the 1960s and came from Philadelphia police who each year faced massive traffic mess caused by fans in town for the Army-Navy football game combined with swarms of holiday shoppers. Of course now the term was spun to represent the “official” beginning of Christmas shopping season and helping the retailors’ profits to turn “Black.” Wherever the term came from or what does it really mean, Black Fridays seem to bring out crazy behaviors of certain people. We heard about the woman using pepper spray on other shoppers so she could get the items she wanted, the shooting in the malls, and people fighting each other to get the door-buster deals. So the “million dollar question” to me is: are the deals worth it or do they justify the behaviors of people? I am not even talking about the behaviors to hurt others but simply spending hours to stand in long lines and shop among crowded angry shoppers?
I guess the answer depends on your situations and perspectives. Some used the camping time and hours of waiting as the opportunity to bond with friends and family members; some may need the 90%-off items because of economy necessities; and some simply want the stuff that may become dust collectors in a few months. Whatever the reasons are, “getting a good deal” seems to be one of the strongest motivational factors to drive people behaviors.
Even in the business world, we spend endless time hashing over prices, negotiating without good faith with each other, fighting over a few dollars, figuring out different angles to benefit ourselves….all in the name of getting the best deals that we can. Certainly it is necessary to be frugal and smart with the resources that we have. However, a lot of times we become so “self-centered” and we totally neglect the interests of others, and we get into the “I win, you lose” mentality instead of looking for “win-win” solutions. So at the end, the same question still applies: Is it worth it?
It is the season to enjoy peace on earth and practice good will toward men! It is the time to get good deals not only for ourselves but also allow others around us to do so! Then maybe we can justify our efforts to stand in line for hours because we can share the joy and blessings of the season with others, even total strangers who may be hostile toward us.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to You and Your Families!
p.s. don’t forget to enjoy the after Christmas sales.
I was in the Los Angeles area on vacation during Thanksgiving time and drove by a line of people with tents, lawn chairs, and sleeping bags near a Best Buy store. The first thought that crossed my mind was that they were on strike against the store, but soon I realized that they were lining up for the Black Friday sales, days and hours before the start of the sales. All of sudden I felt that the peacefulness and tranquility of the Christmas season seem to disappear since there was nothing slow, easy and nice about Black Friday sales.
I did a little research and found out the term “Black Friday” originated in the 1960s and came from Philadelphia police who each year faced massive traffic mess caused by fans in town for the Army-Navy football game combined with swarms of holiday shoppers. Of course now the term was spun to represent the “official” beginning of Christmas shopping season and helping the retailors’ profits to turn “Black.” Wherever the term came from or what does it really mean, Black Fridays seem to bring out crazy behaviors of certain people. We heard about the woman using pepper spray on other shoppers so she could get the items she wanted, the shooting in the malls, and people fighting each other to get the door-buster deals. So the “million dollar question” to me is: are the deals worth it or do they justify the behaviors of people? I am not even talking about the behaviors to hurt others but simply spending hours to stand in long lines and shop among crowded angry shoppers?
I guess the answer depends on your situations and perspectives. Some used the camping time and hours of waiting as the opportunity to bond with friends and family members; some may need the 90%-off items because of economy necessities; and some simply want the stuff that may become dust collectors in a few months. Whatever the reasons are, “getting a good deal” seems to be one of the strongest motivational factors to drive people behaviors.
Even in the business world, we spend endless time hashing over prices, negotiating without good faith with each other, fighting over a few dollars, figuring out different angles to benefit ourselves….all in the name of getting the best deals that we can. Certainly it is necessary to be frugal and smart with the resources that we have. However, a lot of times we become so “self-centered” and we totally neglect the interests of others, and we get into the “I win, you lose” mentality instead of looking for “win-win” solutions. So at the end, the same question still applies: Is it worth it?
It is the season to enjoy peace on earth and practice good will toward men! It is the time to get good deals not only for ourselves but also allow others around us to do so! Then maybe we can justify our efforts to stand in line for hours because we can share the joy and blessings of the season with others, even total strangers who may be hostile toward us.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to You and Your Families!
p.s. don’t forget to enjoy the after Christmas sales.
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