November 22, 2018
                   No. 229
Black, Cyber, Giving, Red
It started out as Black Friday, I think. The biggest shopping day of the year in the US. The day off after their biggest holiday of the year, Thanksgiving Thursday. Perfect timing—a month before Christmas. Everyone has a list of stuff to buy, and still has the money to do it.

Now, I understand that Thanksgiving was deliberately designed by the Fathers of the American order to be their biggest holiday (rather than Christmas, like in much of the world), to celebrate gratitude rather than the birth of a child; particularly their gratitude at having been released from the tentacles of their British overseers.

I wonder, though, had it been designed today, whether the shopping calendar, not gratitude, would have been the fundamental criterion for making this the biggest holiday of the year.

Of course, the rest of the world, being knotted to U.S. culture, quickly followed suit. First Canadians, in droves, crossed the border to spend money on this day of deep discounts (and illusory discounts—the ones that clean out our pocket while you think you’re being discounted).

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Then Canadian retail outlets followed suit, and our Black Friday sales became equally massive. Now Black Friday sales have grown to a worldwide phenomenon.
I should know! I operate a company that markets worldwide, and the pressure to put on massive deals this weekend is immense (coming from the European-based online platform that books many of our West Adventures’ tours.) So, we ante up, join the crowd, and pretend that we thoroughly enjoy losing money from every booking that comes in during this period.

But, hot on the heels of Black Friday, the online world had to have its day, too, and, before you knew it Cyber Monday was the new Black Friday. With sales increasingly going online, cyber Monday is hardly competing with Black Friday; it’s taken it over, the most gentle coup de etat ever.

Of course, the timings all overlap, too—our online sale, to coincide with the booking platform’s requirements, runs from Wednesday before Black Friday, to Thursday following it.

The charity world wasn’t naïve, either. While people are in a spending mode—and before they dish out all of their dollars, they’d better get in on the cash handouts, too. Voila! Giving Tuesday is now on the calendar. It used to be that the big charity push was at the end of the year, reminding everyone to grab their tax credits before the stroke of Midnight Dec. 31—or when the office closes that day. Now it starts with Black Friday, or rather, Giving Tuesday, and just lasts until the New Year’s Eve party ends.

So, this year, I’m seeing a new day added to the mix. The big Flyer that came to my door proclaims “Black Friday starts with Red Thursday.” Really!

While our American neighbours are stuffing themselves with Turkey, we Canadians are going to scoop up all the hot deals before they get to Black Friday? “Take the left-overs, you lucky, over-stuffed Americans!”Seems like the only weekday we don’t yet have nicknamed on this week is Wednesday.

I think we should give it a name. Let’s nickname the Wednesday after the weekend Broke Wednesday, or maybe Regrets Wednesday.

Oh, that reminds me, I’m supposed to get my Christmas wish list in before US Thanksgiving. I guess it’s in my own best interests to do so—I can probably get twice as much for the same dollar if my family can buy on Red Thursday.

Gotta’ run . . . get that list made.

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Award-winning* Fraser Valley Rent 2 Own is a founding member of the Canadian Association of Rent to Own Professionals (www.CAROP.ca)
* winner of all-star awards, 2012, 2014, 2015 at the Rent 2 Own Summit.
Quote of the Week:Credit buying is much like being drunk. The buzz happens immediately and gives you a lift. . . . The hangover comes the day after. – Joyce Brothers
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