Thursday, November 11, 2010

Seasonal Business Approaching

Nothing can stimulate the American economy quite like holiday shoppers. Chances are you know someone who's gone crazy for a sale. The most glaring example of this is the deals that will come two weeks from now.

Black Friday has become the biggest shopping day of the year. Stores will give you incredible deals, like flatscreen televisions for $300. But to get them, you usually need to jump through some hoops. Bowling Green surely won't have problems as severe as those you'll see in national headlines, but Black Friday's obstacles usually include massive crowds, limited supplies and lines, potentially in abrasive elements. Walmart usually has people wait outside the store until the specials take effect, barring instances when people could pose a threat to themselves by waiting in the weather. Shoppers run on caffeine and adrenaline to attempt to beat each other out for the discount they seek.

Unfortunately (depending on how you look at it), BG's commitment of protecting small businesses interferes with an event like Black Friday. Many businesses that choose to participate, at least fully participate, open very early and offer massive markdowns, neither of which are very conducive to the small business mindset. National chains most likely experience wider profit margins, can afford to lower prices for a short time, have bigger locations that can hold more shoppers inside their doors and more employees to make it work and expand their hours to do so.

Thus, many Black Friday shoppers leave Bowling Green to find the best deals. However, you could definitely check out Meijer and Walmart this year for substantial savings, if you're willing to fight for them (not literally; well, maybe). All kinds of websites (blackfriday.info, bfads.net) allow you to sort through the deals that might be exclusive to your area, or look at ones that might appeal to you. If it's not your thing, steer clear. I hope most people have enough of an understanding of Black Friday at this point that they should know if it seems like a good idea or not.
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