Black Friday: In Memoriam
When I was younger, the mall on black friday was nothing short of a war zone. People would line up hours in advance, enduring the frigid cold to earn deals that could literally not be matched anywhere else. It was scary. It was dangerous. It was fun. It gave the day after Thanksgiving a certain kind of aura that just hasn’t existed in recent years. Years ago, you could seemingly grab a TV for 80% of its listed price, provided you were willing to get a few bruises.
This year, I found myself sitting at my desk, eating leftover chicken, and mindlessly adding things to my Amazon cart. I probably won’t buy most of it, and I certainly won’t buy all of it.
What happened to the Black Friday of old?
To me, there are two culprits: Amazon and changes to deals.
Let’s start with Amazon. Online shopping is easier in just about every way. I can find virtually anything, and I don’t even have to leave my house to get it. While Amazon does have Black Friday deals, it’s just not the same as going into a brick-and-mortar shop. This explains some of the shifts we’ve seen, but not all of them.
This leads to our second culprit: changing deals. You used to be able to get things for 80% off, but only on Black Friday itself. Now, that’s not the case. I went to Nordstrom Rack on Wednesday, and spent a few hundred bucks on some new business casual. The deals at that store were identical all week, so there was no incentive to shop on Black Friday. That said, those discounts weren’t spectacular. I think I got a coat for 30% off, and a pair of jeans on clearance for 50%. That’s just not good enough to put my body in harm’s way.
Is the world better because of this? Maybe. It’s probably good that people aren’t going to the hospital after an intense day of shopping. It’s also probably a good business decision to have deals run all week, and it’s definitely more profitable to mark items down less. As a marketer, I can’t argue with that logic. I also can’t help but notice that people talk about Black Friday less than ever before.
The conversation around Black Friday mattered. People would plan what stores they’d go to and post about their decision-making process. That conversation was free word-of-mouth marketing. People would post their bruises and hauls after a long day of shopping. That still happens today, but it just doesn’t hit the same.
Shoppers used to have to make entire battle plans for Black Friday. Now, I can go to the mall on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, see a 30% off sticker, and sigh as I accept that better deals are not coming.
Black Friday wasn’t just a day of discounts. It was a cultural moment. The conversation before it and the news coverage after it gave brands plenty of opportunities to make themselves stand out. It was a key part of American tradition for decades, and it was a great chance for brands to redefine themselves. Instead, we’re left with another soulless batch of commercials promoting deals that we can find year-round.
There’s a sick irony to this: yes, brands are making money in the short term. In the long term, they took a day dedicated to all things consumerism and set it on fire.
