I am having trouble with the retail shopping calendar. It seems that Black Friday now runs from Tuesday until Sunday. One automobile manufacturer has announced that December is Black Friday month and, not surprisingly, Cyber Monday runs from Monday to Thursday at some electronics stores.
I was in the mall on Black Friday Eve, which of course was Wednesday, and noticed some stores were having a Black Friday Week sale. I looked at a jacket that was marked 70 per cent off and asked the girl what the original retail price of the jacket was. She looked puzzled, then brightened and replied, 鈥淚t was 70 per cent more than it is now.鈥�
I was trying to explain to her that if we didn鈥檛 know what the original price was, we couldn鈥檛 know if we are really getting a great deal. 鈥淲ell, the sign says we have great deals all over the store so I guess you have to go with that,鈥� she replied. I think they bring in a lot of part-time help for these events.
I didn鈥檛 buy the jacket because I am waiting for the Boxing Week extravaganza, when I will be able to buy the same item for 50 per cent off the 70 per cent reduced price.
I was discussing Christmas shopping with a friend and he said that he 鈥榗elebrates himself鈥� first, before he does any gift buying for anyone. I wasn鈥檛 sure what that meant because I had never seen a 鈥淐elebrate Yourself Day鈥� advertised anywhere.
He explained that every Christmas he buys two items that he really wants. Maybe clothes, maybe a good book, maybe tools or shoes but the items are something he needs. He tries the clothes on to make sure they fit then he gets his presents gift wrapped, one from himself and one from Santa and puts them under the tree.
He explains, 鈥淚t鈥檚 an absolute delight on Christmas morning to open a couple of presents and find you鈥檙e getting exactly what you wanted.鈥�
The clothes and shoes fit and the tools are the exact make and model you really, really, wanted.鈥�
His theory is that by looking after yourself first and knowing you are going to be happy on Christmas morning, it gives you more incentive to make sure everyone else will be happy as well. I guess he鈥檚 being elfish, not selfish. Apparently it works great on his birthday as well.
Looking after yourself, making sure you are happy, is an interesting concept during a season designed all around giving. But after a month of running and spending and cooking and baking, wouldn鈥檛 it be nice to open a card and find that you had bought yourself a day at the spa or find a gift card for your favourite restaurant?
Think how great the Three Kings would have felt after travelling all that way and presenting the gold, frankincense and myrrh if they had also bought a gift card for the Bethlehem Keg and had a wonderful night out.
I think it would feel great walking through the mall crowd and back to your car that is parked half a mile away if you knew a couple of those bags you were carrying were for you.
You might be the only Black Friday shopper with a smile on your face.
But whether you bought on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, it鈥檚 going to take a month of Sundays to pay it all off.
At least that鈥檚 what McGregor says.
