I Caught Them

I'm back!  I apologize for not posting last week but I needed a break from posting and some rest.  I've had a lot of opportunities for overtime recently and it has taken a little bit of a toll.  But I should be good to go now.  So who have I caught and what have I caught them at?  It has something to do with what they call last Friday, the day after the American Thanksgiving holiday.


I have often complained about the Christmas season.  One of my biggest complaints is the fact that it is "starting" earlier and earlier each year.  I thought I had posted something about it recently but I can't find it.  Apparently I'm going to have to do some kind of indexing.  At any rate, it wasn't even Halloween when I say Wal-Mart beginning to prepare for the season.  They were getting out all of the nick-nacks and ornaments.  And the full push began in the first week of November.  But that isn't what I caught them at this time.  Last Friday is commonly referred to as Black Friday.  I'm not sure where the title came from and I'm not really sure I care.  But even that is starting earlier and earlier, Wal-Mart opened it's doors at 8pm Thursday, Target 9pm, and many others at midnight Friday morning.  And I find that annoying!  But again, that isn't what I caught them on.  What I caught was an advertisement over the weekend that said, "over this Black Friday weekend."  A whole weekend now?  Just how far are they going to stretch things out?  This is just a bit ridiculous if you ask me!  I don't think it would be so bad if they actually had enough product at the advertised price to meet the demand.  A majority of the time there isn't enough product to make it through the first couple of hours so you can forget 24 hours and completely forget an entire weekend!  It should be against the law to do that.  Oh wait, it is in New York!  The law requires them to have approximately what they expect to cover demand for the sale.  Unfortunately for consumers, no DA will press the law and I'm sure the stores have found (and are abusing) loopholes.

But I think what upsets me more than the actions of these retailers is the actions of the consumers.  Christmas is supposed to be about peace and spending time with your family and friends.  Not only has it turned into an event that is all about how much you spend on someone, it has gotten completely away from the fundamental parts of it.  Try to figure out the last time that getting together with family and friends wasn't about exchanging gifts.  Figured it out?  Great, now try to figure out the last time that was for Christmas.  Can't do it, can you? I have to admit, I can't either!  And this extends into the actions that people are taking for the Black Friday sales.  There were several reports of people pointing guns at others and many people in fights.  In the past there have been people who were hospitalized from being trampled.  And all of this violence is to "show that you love someone."  Personally, I can live without the gifts.  Sure they are nice but I would rather spend a bunch of money on some good food and wine just to spend an evening with family and friends.

The greed of retailers, and their stock holders, is getting out of hand.  If they can make a profit from selling something at a price that is often 50% less then the regular price, why not have it at that price all year long?  And the actions of people during these sales is just stupid!  Open your eyes people and take a look at what you are doing to others just to try to save a few dollars.