If you're like me, Black Friday was always my favorite holiday when I was younger. You would be crazy if you didn't like to get all your favorite brands at a fraction of the price.
People wait hours in line and deal with crazy mobs to enter the store for a chance to buy items between 50-90% off their regular price. This special event makes sense for the consumers as well as the retailers. The retailers have an opportunity to get rid of all of their old styles and leftover products from the last six months, while consumers have the chance to buy items at a price remarkably less than the MSRP.
On paper, it seems like there should be no problems. This fact is far from the truth with the number of deal seekers far exceeds the supply of discounted goods. Since 2006, around when the holiday indeed became mainstream, there have been 12 deaths and about 117 serious injuries directly resulting from Black Friday. This fact was nothing to joke about, and many of the big retailers took note of the point.
These retailers started to make changes in how they ran their stores on this wildly popular holiday. They started to increase security to create more organization, with many stores only allowing a specific amount of people in the store at one time. Many stores also started opening earlier than years before; this gave people more time to shop and, therefore, fewer people trying to buy at the same time.
With all the changes made in the last couple of years, things still were not perfect; the supply was still not high enough, no matter how organized things are. Everyone always has to wait in line for hours, most often outside in the cold November weather. I have given up on standing in line on Black Friday since unless you are one of the first ones online, you will never get what you came to buy.
I always loved the rush of finding a great deal on my former favorite holiday, but I now have found this great feeling in a new place. Thrift stores are my new wonderland, its as if its black Friday every single day. Some may not like the thought of wearing clothes previously owned by other people, but its more than that.
The fact of the matter is that often, you can find stuff that is worn maybe once and even new with tags. It is crazy what you can find at thrift stores, often wealthy individuals donate their clothes to these same stores and give you the chance to own things at pennies on the dollar. The rush of finding a high-end brand like Gucci or Burberry with the tags still attached is nothing compared to Black Friday.
Great thrift stores you can find anywhere:
Nowadays it's even easier to shop, with cyber Monday becoming the new Black Friday. You can find some great deals, maybe not as good as the ones in stores, but deals none the less. The thrift store equivalent to cyber Monday has become online consignment shops. These online shops offer you such amazing discounts on exceptional items. With not as much overhead as storefront consignment shops, they do not have to overcharge for their items.
The best thing about the online shops is that you do not have to go into a thrift store and get your hands dirty. You can shop from the comfort of your bed, and the consignment stores online take the clothes in excellent condition. With one quick-dry clean and run through the washing machine, all of the clothes you get will be as good as new.
Thrifting either online or in stores is the best way to get a great deal while supporting the recycling of clothes that helps the environment more then you may know. Get on the trend and stay in bed this black Friday, you deserve a break.