Is Black Friday Worth It?

We’ve all heard the horror stories about what goes down on Black Friday, from shoppers being trampled in crowds, to savage fighting over marked down items. But is waking up early at an unholy hour only to wait outside in the freezing cold really worth it? With the way stores are handling this notorious shopping day these past few years, you might think twice about battling aggressive moms to the bargain bins this Friday.

            The legitimacy of Black Friday sales is a closely guarded secret, but former Macy’s Sales Associate Chelsea Fagan spills the beans in an interview with Thought Catalogue. There is no question that merchandise is marked down that day, but the dramatic reduction in price is only an illusion. Retail giants such as Macys and Abercrombie & Fitch inflate their prices before Black Friday, or simply advertise an artificially high price that’s been cut down for Black Friday. But how can stores be getting away with this? Majority of the shoppers present on Black Friday aren’t regular shoppers for the other times of the year and don’t notice the fishy price differences.

            If you’re still planning to fight your way through a door-buster sale, at least be wary of no-name brands despite their tempting, impossibly low prices–especially for electronics. This is because retailers often take another shady route to make profits on Black Friday from generic brands that are produced in China. These items are usually poorly made or defective, and if the owner is lucky enough to have a warranty, they “need to pay to ship a defective set back to the company’s U.S. offices to receive a repair or exchange,” according to NBC news. So save yourself the time and shipping fees, and research a quality brand item even if it’s not as cheap as the other sales. In the long run you will save more money investing in good quality items that don’t need to be replaced.

With that said, it is safe to say that it is no longer worth going out on Black Friday. Online retailers like Amazon have already started offering the same sales this week, which allows you to bargain without being killed by the swarms of people around you. Of course, this doesn’t mean that online stores are guaranteed to have what you’re looking for, or that they won’t run out of merchandise, but there are still great deals to be found from the convenience of your computer. Additionally, there’s Cyber Monday for great last minute holiday shopping options. 

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