By Not Known
Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving Day in the US (the fourth Thursday of November). Since the 1930s, it has been regarded as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season, and most major retailers open very early (and more recently even through the night) offerring promotional sales. Sales in 2014 fell for the first time since 2008 but still hit US$50.9 billion. Even Christian retailers are into it. Today, with the Internet, Black Friday sales have gone international.
In the past two weeks, I received no fewer than 50 emails with all kinds of enticing offers for special pricing of goods, from electronics to kitchen ware.
Black Friday sale, of course, are a con. It is a way to get consumers to spend their monies on things that they may never need or even want. Seth Godin says, “It is a symptom of a terrible trap we’ve set for ourselves.”
All the frenzy, all the time and effort, all that money and all those emotions spent could be for no good reason. Granted, many had waited to get that item(s) on Black Friday and saved much money. But many were just enticed to grab items because they were unbelievably cheap. At the end of the day, it is not about what you missed on that sale, or how much you might have saved but rather what you spent that is of no use to you. Most people probably spent more time trying to get a refund or selling things off on websites because it didn’t fit or you finally discovered that it was of no use to you. Many more just dumped them in the storeroom.
Think about it, those who shopped during Black Friday are actually really wealthy people, people with an amazing array of choices and a great spread of opportunities. Far more than many others in this world who don’t know when or where their next meal is coming from.
Instead of unnecessary spending, why not go to the mall or the grocery store and shop a trolley load for the BB Sharity Project? Why not count off an amount from your bonus and give it to a missionary you know (who may not receive a bonus at all this year)? Why not handcraft a special gift for the one you love with things you find in the recycle bin? Be intentional. Be creative. Be generous.
God gave that we may have life and have it abundantly. Let’s give with Gospel-inspired hearts to bring a smile and joy to the hearts of people around us so that they may find real meaning and purpose in life.
Don’t let others con you into unnecessary spending. Use your money to bring light back to a darkened world.
Peter Poon