The Day After “Thanksgiving..”

As the Christmas season quickly approaches, shoppers around the U.S. prepare themselves for a day called “Black Friday”–the day after Thanksgiving. On this day, stores around the U.S. open as late as 11:00pm and as early as 4:00am the following day and offer huge sales to begin the shopping season. Many people with the intend of purchasing certain items, literally camp outside of stores and form long cues before the stores actually open so that they will grab a hold of their most coveted items at huge discounts. It is absolutely a crazy and very busy day for shoppers around the U.S.

I too, participate in the event of “Black Friday,” except that I refuse to camp outside of stores to get great deals. I need my sleep. I sometimes will go shopping on a black Friday after the “early birds” have come home. This year in particular, there was a couple of items that I was in dire need of. I arrived at the mall sometime around 8am almost 9:00am with the intention of purchasing the items that I needed and leave.

Let’s just say that that plan didn’t exactly unfold as I had imagined it to. I was only able to buy one of the items that were on my mind. Although I was able to get only one of things I needed, I did buy other items that were appropriate and were needed for the Winter season. When it comes to shopping, I have learned to distinguish between needed and wanted items. Here in the U.S., things are exposed to us in such an abundance that if one doesn’t take caution, they can easily become materialistic and will always be unsatisfied. 

Needed items are those that are required for our well-being. The wants are things that may not be essential to our well-being, but we have the desire to possess. Knowing this distinction has really helped me in the sense that I stray away from items that I want just because it is available and that I have the money to purchase it. I have learned that it is important to be content with whatever I have and only buy those things that are important at the moment and right season.