Cyber Monday. Now they are just making shit up.

http://money.cnn.com/2005/11/28/news/economy/holiday_cybermonday/index.htm?cnn=yes

I smell desperation on the part of U.S. retailers. Ohhh... great! Another fake holiday to get people to shop. Just what I needed. How about a holiday that centers around a respect for human life.

I am busy spinning yarn to knit gifts. Warm, fuzzy house slippers, hats and scarves. And fun, felted bags. I may need more roving, but that is about all. May bake some goodies for local friends.

Let them go buy what they want.

nt

It's even got a name. It is the one day that is most associated with shopping.

"the day after Thanksgiving"?

Tradition = holiday when that tradition has it's own designated day.

after Thanksgiving because they have the day off from work.

do you just not get it? This is NOT retailers creating a holiday...of course you can see a conspiracy in anything if you like...CyberMonday...is THAT going to be a holiday too? How about every Wednesday being Hump Day...what shall we ever do with that one?

subjectProdigal

What would you say?

I can agree consumerism in the US is a problem...but damn, just because some day has a name given to it doesn't make it a fucking holiday. It was made into a shopping day because PEOPLE ALREADY HAD IT OFF and it was a good way to start the Christmas shopping season for retailers...

DAMN!
subjectProdigal

doesn't make it so...rant on with your bad-Wiki-self...you still are making my point for me...

subjectProdigal

;-)

"Black Friday" isnt even in the top 5, its certainly not number 1.

The Saturdays and Sundays before Christmas are typically the highest sales days of the year. Surprizingly, Mother's day is also up there, usually because of high flower sales and restaurant meals.

Even snopes has 'Black Friday' listed in it's 'holiday' category.

http://www.snopes.com/holidays/thanksgiving/shopping.asp

It's a urban legend. Usually the Saturday before Xmas is the busiest day of the year.

http://www.snopes.com/holidays/thanksgiving/shopping.asp

--IMM

I managed a big box retail store for almost five years, and although alot of bodies come through the doors on Black Friday, that is not the busiest sales day. That's usually either the Saturday before Xmas, or 12/23.

it is at least perceived as the busiest shopping day of the year by the general public.

the day after Christmas, Boxing Day.

I mean, hell, we can use it loosely, no...and if it is just LOOSELY BEING USED, then why the hell point it out? You know...

subjectProdigal

NT!

and has nothing to do with shopping unless you LET it have something to do with shopping. The term Black Friday was coined not for holiday purposes...but rather to indicate the day when many retailers go black on their books...

subjectProdigal

Because of the heavy shopping that occurs the weekend after thanksgiving, it is when retailers are hoping/expecting to go "into the black" (profitability) instead of "the red" (loss).

In that sense, it is sort of a "holiday" in that if retailers meet the milestone, they will celebrate.

Retailers lose money most of the year because so much shopping is done at the end of the year. This isn't something retailers like -- they like people shopping of course, but given the possibility, most would rather be profitable all year long. It's less risky. But, it's not the way our culture works and they've adapted. Yes, it is a cycle. People like to shop at the end of the year, so retailers fuel that, so people like to shop then, so retailers fuel it, etc. But it isn't all the retailers fault.

Humans are only as good as the profits they can generate for the stockholders. Now, be a good consumer and stop questioning authority.

were talking about this one this morning.

A few questions:

Are they carpooling out of environmental concerns; and if so, how do they explain their republicanism?

Do you carry a lot of disinfectant in your car?

I live in an area where there are HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lanes. These lanes were started to help the air pollution and traffic problems in the D.C. area. You need at least three people per car. The trip cuts your commputing time in half as well. One of these guys has a Hybrid though, and we carpool in the Hybrid as well (even though with a Hybrid you can drive the HOV lanes by yourself).

These guys are pro-environmental and not religious nuts that I can see. They just love their guns more than anything else.

No I don't carry disinfectant. You can't clean away a stain like that with cleaner. I simply must try to make a gentle point with them now and then.

but telling us this weekend and this morning how EVERYONE is going to do their shopping on line today is a bunch of BS, aimed at making us want to do it to be one of the crowd.

People fall for shit like this, unbelievably. How many people have made shopping on black Friday a tradition just because the teevee told them to? Many.

I hate to introduce reality into your paranoid little bubble world where everything is an evil conspiracy, but people were shopping en masse the day after Thanksgiving long before it ever had a name, or for that matter before it became a media spectacle.

You don't think this shit is deliberate? Hello? Knock, knock, anyone home? It's not a conspiracy, friend: it's called MARKETING.

Of course people were shopping the day after Thanksgiving -- they have the day off. But the lining up at 4 am crap and the rest of it is totally manufactured -- you make a big deal out of something and people go along with it.

You probably believe everyone used diamonds as engagement rings before DeBeers thunk it up.

I don't know about anyone else, but I only began hearing the term "Black Friday" last year -- and only in the past decade did I hear that "the day after Thanksgiving" was the biggest shopping day of the year. I always thought it was the weekend after Christmas, when people went out to take advantage of the post-holiday sales, trade in the junk they didn't want and replace it with the junk they did want.

Now, Cyber Monday?

I think that came from the same people I saw on Faux yesterday saying the "Black Friday" shopping was a resounding success - while everybody else was saying it was weak, at best.

... unless Hallmark has a card specifically for the occasion ... and they probably DO!

Followed by Whoa-Shit Wednesday, then Thankless Thursday.

Here: http://www.cnn.com/. And this is a poll you can trust - everyone responding to it (57,000+) is online.

You're right...it's a desperate ploy to generate sales in an economy that sucks. I'm sure we'll hear tonight that it was a great success, but that "data is sketchy as sales reports on cyber shopping aren't as clear as retail shopping." A week later, it will all be forgotten but the new "holiday" will be there for next year.

Total BS.

So sorry, Mad Ave, but we're not buying THAT, eithter.

Anything to prop up the shaky economy.

anything they can invent to part you from your money.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber_Monday

Not that Wikipedia is 100% accurate. Can anybody find an earlier appearance of the word?

I don't do much Christmas shopping--but do some of it online. However, I'll make a POINT of not ordering anything today!

Edited to add: Well, I backslid. I just re-ordered Advantage Flea Remedy. But the cats will definitely open it before Christmas!

It's just another dumb PT stunt to make people think they're supposed to spend money. I agree: desperation... and arrogance.

We've had so many sales in stores this year, far more than seems "normal".

I think there are real problems afoot and, yes, what is going on is nothing more than psychological manipulation.

Let them buy cake.