Black Friday just isn’t what it used to be.
As the holiday season approaches, there is one more celebration of consumerism to indulge in. Black Friday, typically the Friday after Thanksgiving, was supposed to mark the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. First, it expanded until Cyber Monday, what was originally meant to be the Black Friday of the digital world. Nowadays, it usually extends from a few days up until a week, and predominately takes place online.
As someone who grew up in a country where Black Friday did not really exist in the retail calendar, the only way I could experience this magic of consumerism was from afar through the blue-tinted screen of my laptop. I could not believe it when I watched my favourite American bloggers unpacking overflowing bags of purchased goods that they appeared to have snagged at a bargain price. Once I moved abroad and started earning my own money and could actually justify the occasional frivolous purchase, I was sourly disappointed that Black Friday was not at all what it was promised to be.
Yes, you will get the occasional 20 per cent off or buy-one-get-one-half-off, but that is nothing compared to the incredible deals I was exposed to on YouTube “back in the day”. I questioned whether there was a shift in retail practices or whether I was perhaps reminiscing on my teenage pastime through a nostalgic lens.
For the purpose of research, I rewatched some OG YouTube classics — by that, I mean Black Friday hauls from a decade ago. I was not misremembering things. The deals were genuinely better than anything I have personally ever experienced. BOGOF and then add 50% off and get a free gift with purchase. That sort of vibe.
A main shift I noticed when rewatching some of these videos was connected to the entire undertaking of Black Friday — it was an event that people prepared for. Some of the girls showed up at 3 am or 5 am to arrive before the other customers. They queued for hours to get their hands on the best deals.
I observed that with each passing year, the time Black Friday sales would recede earlier and earlier, switching to 1am or midnight. All the way until now when Black Friday sales usually start on Thanksgiving. So, assuming that is something you celebrate, you can leave the Thanksgiving table and immediately get some great deals from straight from the comfort of your laptop. All in the vein of giving thanks, of course.
To answer my initial question, yes, I do believe there has been a shift in the approach to Black Friday. One of the reasons for that is probably that the digital shopping landscape has completely shifted from what it once was. And with the expansion of one Black Friday to several days of discounts, those naturally become more diluted.
I may seem cynical (I definitely am) but I think there is still something to be excited about with the start of the holiday season. Personally, the stores that piqued my interest with their Black Friday promotions so far have been Rare Beauty (5 days of different shopping discounts), Sabrina Carpenter’s merch store (she has really cute merch okay! And it’s 30% off), and Colourpop (2for1 with individual items). I am in no way advocating those are ones that you purchase, however. Whether you’ve been wanting the Dyson Airwrap or a power drill, I am sure there is a decent discount on that item happening in some corner of the internet.
Like with most other consumerist-driven holidays, I advocate for a more mindful approach to what we purchase. It’s only a good deal if you were going to buy it anyway.
Illustration by Ava Hewitt