Black Friday Guest Blog--Åsa
Black Friday today. In Sweden too. We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, for obvious reasons, but Black Friday is now very much a thing. It wasn’t always, but thanks to online shopping, it’s now one of the biggest sales events of the year. Many stores market it as Black Weekend or even Black Week. All in the name of consuming things because they are cheap rather than what you actually want or need.
I have some really special memories of Black Friday, so even though I am not promoting or participating in the frenzy that it has become this year, I also don’t want to pretend that I’ve always rolled my eyes at the madness or that I am better than that.
Some fond memories are from the years when we lived in Pocatello and would celebrate Thanksgiving with Dylan’s grandmother in Buhl. On Black Friday I’d go with the cousins into Twin Falls and shop for Christmas presents and good deals. I don’t remember a single item purchased during one of these outings. Instead, I remember mugs of hot coffee in the car at 6 am. Lunch at busy mall food courts. Laughs comparing stories of crazy customers and grumpy (of course they were) sales staff. Good times with family, basically. I’ve also skied Jackson Hole for free on Black Friday. No complaints there.
So. Do whatever makes you happy. If you feel you want or need something, by all means… But hopefully your Friday is a great day for reasons other than cheap goods. And if you hit the stores, be nice to the people working.
Cheers!