The Good Banter Thread

[Big Lou]

This entire "Black Friday" thing has become lunacy. People may now give up Thanksgiving in the name of shopping. In some stores employees must now work on this family holiday. During and after Thanksgiving we are bombarted by sales gimmicks. Greed and commercialism has grown far too powerful in our nation. The holiday season is a time to cherish. A time to celebrate for all that for which we are grateful. Let's return to a more sensible course.

 

[Big Lou]

Don't drink coffee myself yet an extremely popular brand of coffee in the south is Community Coffee.

http://www.communitycoffee.com/

 

[capewind]

First off, I am really sorry to hear what different folks are going through... sending cyber hugs to all...

On the Black Friday thing, dont get me started LOL. Thanksgiving is for FAMILY, and not what equates for many (too many) as a time to impulse shop, often with money they cant afford to spend. Sure, if there is a special occasion to buy something, or to even deal with Christmas shopping, okay, hitting a sales is nice, but to start it on THANKSGIVING should be a moral crime.

On the work end, well, if you are LUCKY enough to have a job, you need to work when the boss needs you, or they can always get someone else. Be grateful for getting the days pay... Growing up, I worked many a holiday, and made the family appearances as I was able, before or after work. My kids (17-21) have all had jobs since turning 14-15, and over the years have worked nearly every major holiday, and even REQUEST to work on those dates. We simply adjust the times of our family gatherings so that they are a part of it... It also shows their bosses that they appreciate their jobs, and for all three of the kids, they get raises at each review, when most of the so called adults get ZERO raises... hmmm... never call in, offer to work dates others whine to have off... I wonder if there is a connection...

 

[sissy]

I have never once gone out on black friday to shop .I think it is just crazy myself .I never even watched for special sales when my children were growing up ,it was not worth the aggrevation .I have to have my coffee .Toys come and go and often end up in the garbage because they are made poorly or are hyped up on TV to seem more interesting than they are .I like the fact there are more learning toys though these days .My sons could read some and print some by the time they started school ,think any head start on learning these days is great .

 

[addy1]

I always worked holidays so my employees with kids could be home. Never have shopped black friday, don't like shopping and hate crowds.

 

[capewind]

I had the perfect "life lesson" about not wanting to shop in crowds... I was about 16 (maybe 17) and worked for a big department store chain... We had a special early opening for those DAMN CABBAGE PATCH DOLLS.... I can still "see" the insane crowd waiting for the doors to open... and when they did, the pushing and shoving trying to get to the section of the store where they were... and the CRAZY way they were grabbing for whichever doll they could get their hands on... yippeee... all for a doll that came with a signature and birth certificate LOL...

 

[sissy]

yep remember the doll and worked part time ror woolworths in Menlo Park mall before the remodeled it .

 

[callingcolleen1]

Never understood the "Black Friday" thing, we here have "Midnight Madness", shop till midnight! Why do they call it "Black Friday"?

 

[sissy]

I never understood that but know from people and seeing the news you take your life in your hands when you go .I know the news reported people injured last year and several people died and others got trampled by the crowds .Also heard a couple of reports of pepper spray being used .

 

[capewind]

yep remember the doll and worked part time ror woolworths in Menlo Park mall before the remodeled it .

LOL... FW Woolworth's was whom I was working for at that time!

 

[j.w]

Taken from Snopes.com

BLACK FRIDAY

The day after Thanksgiving is the day millions of Americans, enjoying a rare Friday off (and a dearth of football games on television), head for the malls to kick off the Christmas shopping season. "Black Friday" (supposedly so named because it's the day when retailers turn the corner and see their income statements move out of the red and into the black, but originally the phrase was a derisive term applied by police and retail workers to the day's plethora of traffic jams and badly-behaved customers) is regularly cited as "the busiest shopping day of the year." But although Black Friday may be the day the greatest number of holiday shoppers traipse through malls, it isn't necessarily the biggest day of the year in terms of dollars spent.

 

[sissy]

I remember them setting them on a table in the middle of the floor and everyone rushed in and started grabbing them .It was a mad house ,babies flying every where .They had the toy department in the basement but they were put upstairs so no one would get hurt rushing the stairs .

 

[j.w]

Bah humbug I hate shopping! My dear DH likes to drag me out into the mobs trying to get me into the holiday spirit. I'd much rather stay home and watch the snow fall while sipping my hot chocolate in front of the fire and the holiday tunes are playing on the radio and ahhhhhhhhhhhh the wonderful smell of cookies baking in the oven and fresh pine floating in the air :faint:

 

[sissy]

I hate regular stores but can spend hours in a hardware store . :razz:

 

[HARO]

I hate regular stores but can spend hours in a hardware store . :razz:

I'm with you there, Sissy! The problem is, where do you find a good, old-fashioned hardware store nowadays??? The big-box stores have pretty well put the GOOD stores out of business, and HD, Lowes and Rona (a Canadian version) have virtually NO customer service! And I really miss those rare finds, things that have been in the back corners of the store since dinosaurs roamed the earth.
John