SURVEY SAYS Black Friday Shopping

Last week, I asked NewsDash readers whether they plan to shop the day after Thanksgiving and how they feel about Christmas items showing up in stores before Thanksgiving (in some places, before Halloween).

More than half of responding readers (54.3%) do not plan to shop the day after Thanksgiving, 23.9% plan to shop online only, and 21.7% plan to shop in stores and online.

Only 4.3% of respondents like Christmas items showing up in stores before Thanksgiving, while more than half (54.3%) don’t like it, and the rest don’t care.

Reader comments about shopping on Black Friday explained why no one chose “yes, in stores only,” as many mentioned the chaos and the fighting that can go on. Some readers had no problem with Christmas items showing up in stores before Thanksgiving, but said having them show up before Halloween was too much. Editor’s Choice goes to the reader who said: “Let me enjoy Halloween and then Thanksgiving. There is plenty of time to give Christmas its spotlight after the glow of those holidays fade.”

A big thank you to all who participated in our survey, and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Verbatim

Christmas items in the store before Thanksgiving, I don’t really care – but before Halloween? Come On – there is plenty of time to shop for Christmas – let us enjoy the Fall Holidays!

Get a life and use your time in more meaningful ways.

Hate the chaos

Black Friday is good with me, but given that there are already Black Friday sales going on, I’m not sure it holds the same power it used to hold. I detest seeing Christmas decorations in stores before Halloween. I can handle it as it nears Thanksgiving, but I refuse to decorate for Christmas prior to Thanksgiving.

Having worked in retail management, I know that my stock room starting getting stuffed with Christmas items in July/August. I was more than happy to start putting some items out as soon as we packed away summer gardening and even happier to clean out the stock room after Halloween!

I don’t like skipping right over Thanksgiving.

Black Friday is recovery day from hosting T-day festivities. And I’ve given up on “outrage” about seeing Christmas item before T-day. There are more important things to be outraged about these days…White House shenanigans, House, Senate, visceral silliness and so on.

We switched to all online shopping just before it got popular. Still get decent sales all while in our PJs.

Although I don’t mind Christmas items showing up in stores in November, I find it ridiculous how some stores start in October! By the beginning of December, I’m sick of seeing it!

I don’t see a need to have Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays all balled together by the stores. Not unless we change the name of the Holiday Trio to Hallgivemas or some such mingling of names. I prefer mine separate.

Christmas makes me so happy, I wouldn’t care if it were in stores all year around. When I’m stressed, I go to Hobby Lobby and walk through the Christmas decorations.

Turkey Day is as late as it could come this year, which = shorter holiday shopping season btwn Black Friday / Xmas. Retailers need to make $$… so they need to get goods in consumers faces earlier. Just the way it is. Also, I like saving money on deals. There’s plenty to be found from the comfort of your couch on the interwebs. Relatedly, plenty of people have fun amongst all the craziness of stores on Black Friday. No need to crash on other folks’ parades.

The Christmas Season begins the day AFTER Thanksgiving. Having Christmas items in stores before Thanksgiving, as much as three weeks before in some places, is extremely annoying!

I don’t care about items showing up before Thanksgiving, but what I don’t like is that stores feel they need to be open on Thanksgiving. Unfortunately I believe consumer demand is driving this.

Shopping after Thanksgiving just creates more stress, and I’ve had enough stress at work this year. I’ll be watching football with a beer in one hand and an iPad in the other to shop online.

I equate shopping with also looking, however if I go to a store day-after Thanksgiving, it’s only if there is a specific deal to buy. I might add, also surely not at 5 or 6 am, no way!

I avoid the craziness in the stores on Black Friday. I do most of my shopping online.

It used to be exciting and fun. Now it’s almost dangerous. Some items are manufactured specifically for the sale. And with on-line shopping, the deals just aren’t there anymore

We’ve all gone nuts! Let’s live in the moment/season.

You have to be crazy or desperate to put up with Black Friday crowds at stores. I feel sorry for the ones who are that desperate.

I don’t mind Christmas items in stores but I’m already sick of the Christmas music playing all the time.

It seems like every year the Christmas season starts earlier and earlier. It is almost like the stores just want Thanksgiving out of the way which is a shame. Both are very enjoyable and special holidays.

The only pet peeve that I have is with stores that are open on Thanksgiving. I fail to understand why for one day people can’t refrain from shopping and spending money. Personally, I only shop online on Black Friday but I’m supportive of others who want to participate.

I don’t mind Christmas items in the stores before Thanksgiving because I start shopping for gifts in the summer. However, when you start to see Christmas items even before the Halloween decorations are out, it’s a bit too soon. Christmas decorations should not be competing for shelf space with Fall decorations. Fall is one of my favorite seasons and there seems to be less and less on the shelves each year because there are Christmas trees in the stores instead. Are people really buying Christmas trees in September and October?

I guess since we are getting snow before Halloween, stores think Christmas is just around the corner….

I have bigger fish to fry. Literally. 🙂

Thanksgiving should be all about family and friends gathering to giving thanks and this includes all the people who work retail. I don’t think the CEO’s and senior officers of these retail stores are working. They need to put aside profits for one day so their employees can give thanks too.

Let me enjoy Halloween and then Thanksgiving. There is plenty of time to give Christmas its spotlight after the glow of those holidays fade.