Black Friday

The phenomenon of raw Fri sidereal day Bustling city streets, hour-long lines, and sell shop chaos only wholeness scenario explains the commonality betwixt these situations, obtain on opaque Friday. For half a century moody Friday has become an un send official retail holiday in the United States. It is a day that offers inc ruborible discounts and killer deals, and most notoriously, it brings a craze of crazed shoppers to local retailers prospecting to save on purchases.Marketing strategies, paired with consumers need to locate the best deals on Christmas gifts has led to disastrous Friday being celebrated as a wasting disease ritual comparable in importance to Thanksgiving Day. (doubting Thomas and shits, 2011) How has char Friday become the largest retail sales day of the year? What is it that drives people to by artificial means induced hyper consumption, almost uniform an angiotensin converting enzyme(a)-year ritual? Many scientist and psychologists prolong umpteen contrasting theories and conclusions of wherefore Black Friday has become the biggest shop day of the year.In this paper, I will take your through the research and conclusions that numerous psychologists nurse produced and the advantages and disadvantages of Black Friday. Dr. Stephanie Sarkis, Ph. D. explored the process of Jane Boyd Thomas and Cara Peters, professors at S come onh Carolinas Winthrop University, who spent two years in research trying to find common traits in Black Friday shoppers. They maneuvered thirty-eight extensive interviews with experienced Black Friday shoppers and found quaternity recurring themes 1. Familial bond (multiple generations and close friends) 2. Strategic formulatening . The great consort 4. Mission accomplished But how do the four themes they came up with relate to unmatchable an other(a)? Thomas and Peters figured that in all the traits when analyzed to ticktackher showed one commonality. They wrote, the traits argon coale sced around a troops metaphor, and is a bonding activity Shoppers prep be for the ritual by s tailning Black Friday ads, and they map come in their strategy. (Sarkis 2011) In essence, the family is a type of team that s fags adds, plans their route and potential purchases, take to the woodss their plans by buying products, and rejoices in their accomplishments.When all of these traits atomic number 18 analyzed individually, they mean little to master(prenominal) the main outcome, bonding. But when all the traits be looked at collectively, they all contribute to the overall success and purpose of bonding. Besides giving us a break fell of bonding activities, the analysis besides shows how the average consumer plan for Black Friday. Just as Sarkis found themes that arrest up this military metaphor, Byun, professor of consumer affairs at Auburn University came up with her own theory on why people react the way they do on Black Friday. Crowds create a virtuoso of competition such as when hundreds of shoppers be charge to collect marked-down goods they generate a different heart entirely. Competition creates whats called hedonic shop value, or a sentiency of enjoyment from the mere attend to of buying goods. At certain levels, consumers enjoy arousal and contends during the shopping process. (Khazan 2011) In essence what Byun is saying is consumers get more than enjoyment because the crowds create an obstacle, which hinders the exe swerveion of the plans and preparations made. The crowds birth getting what they want sonorouser, which creates more value for the goods purchased.Just as Byun noted that crowds contribute to the Black Friday Craze, Kelly McGonigal, Ph. D. describes another factors that plays a big part in the Black Friday zeal. sellers, she notes, use innovative designs to lure customers into their stores and keep them there. McGonigal says sentence pressure sales on limited products or scarce re initiations triggers a negati ve physiological rival on the consumer. scarceness for a certain commodity creates a sense of urgency to act now, a natural instinct to survive. This survival instinct can be related to chase for some people.Black Friday is search for women, said Leisa Reinecke Flynn, professor of marketing and fashion selling at the University of Southern Mississippi. Its so practically like deer hunting its hard to tell the two apart. (Khazan 2011) Unfortunately, shopping on Black Friday is not motivated by survival instincts or a life in death situation. This problem stimulates unusual behavior in consumers that creates disadvantages and potential dangers for those that are not necessarily into the hunt. The thought of Black Friday creates a perfect storm for consumer misbehavior.Misbehavior, as defined by Lennon, Johnson, and Lee is, acts that violate accepted norms of conduct in consumption contexts. (Lennon, Johnson, Lee, 2011) This compulsive behavior, or compulsive consumption, fee ds off of the idea of scarcity. It induces people to act inappropriately harming others and ofttimes themselves. For many, if not most compulsive purchasers, buying is a reaction to stress or unpleasant situations. neurotic consumption is a type of consumer behavior which is inappropriate, typically excessive, and clearly disruptive to the lives of other individuals. (Ronald, Thomas, and Raymond 1987) Both hunting and shopping hinge on long-standing traditions and generally acquire pursuing a goal as a group. Whether the group actually hits its target is secondary to the gambol of the chase. Hunting and shopping as shown above are very closely linked and motivated by the idea of scarcity. Just like there are limited deer in the forest, there are limited goods in the stores. The result is paradoxical in nature. People are fraudulently deceived into playacting compulsively. (Herpen, Pieters and Zeelenberg 2005)Just as Ronald, Thomas, and Raymond concluded that compulsive behavior negatively affects the lives of others, Peter McGraw, Ph. D. drew a similar connection. He focuses more on social trends and pressures being the root of the problem. In The Link between Thanksgiving Gluttony and Black Friday Insanity, McGraw makes a connection between Black Friday shopping and Thanksgiving Dinner. He explores the idea that once a year, people will consume more calories in one meal, than the average person consumes on a normal day.The next day they wake up, or sometimes not sleeping at all, and go shopping for hours on end. (McGraw and Warner 2011) Dr. McGraws research shows us that in a short period of twoscore eights hour there is over consumption of diet on Thanksgiving and the hyper consumption or shopping on Black Friday. McGraw believes that the cause of this phenomenon is social mould and pressure. He writes, One of the hallmarks of psychological science is that we are influenced by the actions of othersoften more so than wed like to admit.Sometimes were i mpelled to take positive actions, such as switching to reusable bags or cutting down on littering. Other times, social influence can be quite negative. When it comes to Thanksgiving and Black Friday, unfortunately, the influences reorient more toward bad than good. (McGraw and Warner 2011) In other voice communication McGraw places responsibility of hyper consumption on social trends, pressures, and pull down perhaps familial rituals for the ever-popular Black Friday. Another concept of Black Friday is one of mutual put on for some(prenominal) consumer and retailer.Consumers expediency from large discounts on all sorts of items including clothing, electronics, furniture, and literally any other commodity available on the market. Retailers benefit by getting out of the red zone, finally making a profit for the financial year. The opportunities available on Black Friday is what drove 212 million shoppers to stores during Black Friday weekend in 2011. (Wilson, 2010) Retailers experience blow up sales during Black Friday and the days that follow. This monetary benefit is what drives their extensive promotion and deal offerings, further influencing the consumers willingness to partake in the shopping frenzy.In a familiarity where a corporation or businesss main purpose is to grow profits for the benefit of its shareholders, a companys number one purpose is to amplification sales, in roll to increase profits. According to a New York Times denomination written by Adam Davidson, approximately one fifth of retailers total annual sales are made during the holiday shopping season. (Davidson, 2011) In conclusion, we can see that shopping on Black Friday brings people together in one way or another. For some, it brings people together in a positive way.Families and friends are able to work as a team who plan, prepare and execute their plans to achieve their goals. For others, Black Friday shoppers experience the negative affects of other peoples behavior. The re are also advantages and disadvantages for both the consumer and retailer. Consumers get amazingly cheap prices on products while retailers experience a massive mass in sales. However one may look at Black Friday, it is a day that cannot be ignored. Its influence and popularity are ever ripening and expanding. Reference Page Davidson, Adam. The Black Friday Effect permits Stimulate the Economy with Inflation. The New York Times, 16 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. Herpen, Erica van, Rik Pieters, and Marcel Zeelenberg (2005) ,How Product Scarcity carry ons on Choice Snob and Bandwagon Effects, in Advances in Consumer look record 32, eds. Geeta Menon and Akshay R. Rao, Advances in Consumer interrogation Volume 32 Association for Consumer Research, Pages 623-624. Faber, J. Ronald, OGuinn, C Thomas, and Krych, Raymond. (1987) Compulsive Consumption, in Advances in Consumer Research Volume 14, eds.Melanie Wallendorf and Paul Anderson, Advances in Consumer Research Volume 14 Assoc iation for Sonsumer Research, Pages 132-135. McGonigal, Kelly, Ph. D. The Science of Willpower. Comments on Black Friday Shopping How Stores Use Psychology to Fill Your puff N. p. , 19 Nov. 2010. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. . McGraw, Peter, Ph. D. , and Warner, Joel. The Humor Code. The Link between Thanksgiving Gluttony and Black Friday Insanity. N. p. , 21 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. . Ridgwar, Nicole, Black Friday Sales Hit Record. CNNMoney. Cable news program Netwrok, 26 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. Sarkis, Stephanie, Ph. D. Here, There, and Everywhere. Black Friday A incorporated Consumption Ritual. N. p. , 20 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. . Thomas, Jane Boyd, and Peters, Cara. (2011) An exploratory investigation of Black Friday consumption rituals, International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 39 Iss 7, pp. 522 537 Wallendorf, M. , Arnould, E. We gather together consumption rituals of Thanksgiving Day, in Journal of Consumer Research, (1991) Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 13-31. Wilson, April. By the Numbers Black Friday Shoppers and Their Impact on the Economy. The Luckie ReTink Tank. 23 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct 2012. .Black FridayThe three sources to be compared are all in coition to the events that occurred on Black Friday, particularly surrounding the conduct of the metropolitan practice of law. Source 10, interpreted from The Times report presents the view that the constabulary were more victims of the women and raiders that they were trying to control, and that it took some effort to restrain the women that were protesting on that day.Whereas source 11, taken from a memorandum that was sent to the home office after Black Friday gives the view that the police were acting wastely towards the women protesting and that the women in this situation were the victims. Source 12, a statement from a suffragette who participated in Black Friday presents a similar opinion to that in source 11, indicating that the woman in question received several injuries from a police officer.The events that occurred on Black Friday and the conduct of the police ware been under dispute by many historians, which some taking the side of source 10, and others agreeing more with the recollections presented in sources 11 and 12- it can therefore be argued how much sources 11 and 12 challenge the view contained in source 10 about the conduct of the police on Black Friday. Source 10, taken from The Times report on 19th November 1910 is an condense from a report covering the events of what eventually became known as Black Friday.It presents the view that the police unbroken their temper very well towards the ladies who flung themselves against (them). It also speaks of how several police had their helmets knocked off in carrying out their transaction and later mentions that one was disabled by a kick on the ankle and another was cut on the face by a belt therefore implying that the women who were present on Black Friday were acting violently t owards the police, and that any rough handling of the police towards the protesters was only in response to the treatment they were receiving.It could be said then, that this article presents the police in a positive light and shows the suffragettes to be the ones at transmutation on Black Friday which comes as no surprise given that the article comes from The Times- a newspaper that would have been primarily fuck offed at educated men, and its purpose therefore would have been to share the opinion that women were out of control and lacked the dignity to receive the vote. Source 11 on the other hand differs with the view presented in source source 10.It is an extract from a memorandum by the Parliamentary conciliation Committee for Womens Suffrage send to the Home Office after Black Friday. It agrees with the source ten in the sense that it admits a relentless struggle occurred between the police and the suffragettes, but it disagrees with source 10 because it presents the view t hat it was the police acting violently towards the women, who it says were flung hither and thither amid moving traffic, and into the hands of a crows which was sometimes rough and unseemly.This opinion is presented because the purpose of the memorandum sent to the home office was to request a public enquiry into the conduct of the police on Black Friday, because they did not follow their usual course of action which would have been to arrest the women on a charge of obstruction but they had been instructed to avoid, as far as possible, making any arrests which is why, the women argue that the police were so violent.Also, this article presents the events of Black Friday in such a different light, because it was written by those who sympathized with Suffragettes and therefore nominateed them, the Committee was set up in 1910 to encourage conduct for womens suffrage, so it would have wanted to make the actions of the police look bad in differentiate to gain support for the women w ho were protesting. Similar to source 11, Source 12, from a statement by a 60 year old suffragette who had participated in the demonstration on Black Friday is of the opinion that it was the police who acted wrongly during the events, and not the women protesting.The suffragette talks about how she was seized by several policemen and how one twisted (her) right arm behind (her) stand with such brute force that (she) really thought he would break it. She also mentions that another officer gave (her) a terrible blow in (her) back, which sent (her) whirling into the crowd- clearly presenting the view that the police were acting violently and out of conduct towards the women and as a result disputing the viewpoint held in source 10.However, it must be taken into consideration the purpose of this statement, which was a testament before the Parliamentary Conciliation Committee for Womens Suffrage, who we know from source 11 sympathized with suffragettes and were trying to gain support f rom them. Therefore, the women who gave this testament would have been trying to give as much evidence against the police as possible in order for the Committee to have a case against the police and order for an inquiry to be made.In addition to this, it was the aim of suffragettes at time to create as much publicity towards their cause as they could, whether good or bad, they wanted attention, and by complaining about the police it would have prolonged the time that Black Friday was publicized in the media which was what they wanted. In conclusion, sources 11 and 12, which present the view that it was the police who acted wrongly on Black Friday disagree with the view presented in source 10, which is that it was the women who were at fault.This is because the purpose of both sources 11 and 12 was to create intellect for the suffragettes in order to gain support for their cause, whereas source 10 was aimed at an audience who did not support womens suffrage, and by publishing an art icle presenting women in a bad light, The Times newspaper would have been ensuring that its readers remained loyal. Although sources 11 and 12 agree with source 10 in the fact that a violent dispute took place, they differ in opinion of who was the victim in the situation, therefore sources 11 and 12 challenge the view presented in source 10 about the conduct of the police on Black Friday.Black FridayThe phenomenon of Black Friday Bustling city streets, hour-long lines, and retail store chaos only one scenario explains the commonality between these situations, shopping on Black Friday. For half a century Black Friday has become an unofficial retail holiday in the United States. It is a day that offers incredible discounts and killer deals, and most notoriously, it brings a frenzy of crazed shoppers to local retailers looking to save on purchases.Marketing strategies, paired with consumers need to locate the best deals on Christmas gifts has led to Black Friday being celebrated as a consumption ritual comparable in importance to Thanksgiving Day. (Thomas and Peters, 2011) How has Black Friday become the largest retail sales day of the year? What is it that drives people to artificially induced hyper consumption, almost like an annual ritual? Many scientist and psychologists have many different theories and conclusions of why Black Friday has become the biggest shopping day of the year.In this paper, I will take your through the research and conclusions that many psychologists have produced and the advantages and disadvantages of Black Friday. Dr. Stephanie Sarkis, Ph. D. explored the work of Jane Boyd Thomas and Cara Peters, professors at South Carolinas Winthrop University, who spent two years in research trying to find common traits in Black Friday shoppers. They conducted thirty-eight extensive interviews with experienced Black Friday shoppers and found four recurring themes 1. Familial bonding (multiple generations and close friends) 2. Strategic planning . The great race 4. Mission accomplished But how do the four themes they came up with relate to one another? Thomas and Peters figured that all the traits when analyzed together showed one commonality. They wrote, the traits are coalesced around a military metaphor, and is a bonding activity Shoppers prepare for the ritual by scanning Black Friday ads, and they map out their strategy. (Sarkis 2011) In essence, the family is a type of team that scans adds, plans their route and potential purchases, executes their plans by buying products, and rejoices in their accomplishments.When all of these traits are analyzed individually, they mean little to main the main outcome, bonding. But when all the traits are looked at collectively, they all contribute to the overall success and goal of bonding. Besides giving us a equipment failure of bonding activities, the analysis also shows how the average consumer plan for Black Friday. Just as Sarkis found themes that make up this military metaph or, Byun, professor of consumer affairs at Auburn University came up with her own theory on why people react the way they do on Black Friday. Crowds create a sense of competition such as when hundreds of shoppers are rushing to collect marked-down goods they generate a different feeling entirely. Competition creates whats called hedonic shopping value, or a sense of enjoyment from the mere process of buying goods. At certain levels, consumers enjoy arousal and challenges during the shopping process. (Khazan 2011) In essence what Byun is saying is consumers get more enjoyment because the crowds create an obstacle, which hinders the execution of the plans and preparations made. The crowds make getting what they want harder, which creates more value for the goods purchased.Just as Byun noted that crowds contribute to the Black Friday Craze, Kelly McGonigal, Ph. D. describes another factors that plays a big part in the Black Friday frenzy. Retailers, she notes, use innovative designs to lure customers into their stores and keep them there. McGonigal says time pressure sales on limited products or scarce resources triggers a negative physiological affect on the consumer. Scarcity for a certain commodity creates a sense of urgency to act now, a natural instinct to survive. This survival instinct can be related to hunting for some people.Black Friday is hunting for women, said Leisa Reinecke Flynn, professor of marketing and fashion merchandising at the University of Southern Mississippi. Its so much like deer hunting its hard to tell the two apart. (Khazan 2011) Unfortunately, shopping on Black Friday is not motivated by survival instincts or a life in death situation. This paradox stimulates unusual behavior in consumers that creates disadvantages and potential dangers for those that are not necessarily into the hunt. The concept of Black Friday creates a perfect storm for consumer misbehavior.Misbehavior, as defined by Lennon, Johnson, and Lee is, acts that vi olate accepted norms of conduct in consumption contexts. (Lennon, Johnson, Lee, 2011) This compulsive behavior, or compulsive consumption, feeds off of the idea of scarcity. It induces people to act inappropriately harming others and often themselves. For many, if not most compulsive purchasers, buying is a reaction to stress or unpleasant situations. Compulsive consumption is a type of consumer behavior which is inappropriate, typically excessive, and clearly disruptive to the lives of other individuals. (Ronald, Thomas, and Raymond 1987) Both hunting and shopping hinge on long-standing traditions and generally involve pursuing a goal as a group. Whether the group actually hits its target is secondary to the fun of the chase. Hunting and shopping as shown above are very closely linked and motivated by the idea of scarcity. Just like there are limited deer in the forest, there are limited goods in the stores. The result is paradoxical in nature. People are fraudulently deceived int o acting compulsively. (Herpen, Pieters and Zeelenberg 2005)Just as Ronald, Thomas, and Raymond concluded that compulsive behavior negatively affects the lives of others, Peter McGraw, Ph. D. drew a similar connection. He focuses more on social trends and pressures being the root of the problem. In The Link between Thanksgiving Gluttony and Black Friday Insanity, McGraw makes a connection between Black Friday shopping and Thanksgiving Dinner. He explores the idea that once a year, people will consume more calories in one meal, than the average person consumes on a normal day.The next day they wake up, or sometimes not sleeping at all, and go shopping for hours on end. (McGraw and Warner 2011) Dr. McGraws research shows us that in a short period of forty eights hour there is over consumption of food on Thanksgiving and the hyper consumption or shopping on Black Friday. McGraw believes that the cause of this phenomenon is social influence and pressure. He writes, One of the hallmarks of psychological science is that we are influenced by the actions of othersoften more so than wed like to admit.Sometimes were impelled to take positive actions, such as switching to reusable bags or cutting down on littering. Other times, social influence can be quite negative. When it comes to Thanksgiving and Black Friday, unfortunately, the influences skew more toward bad than good. (McGraw and Warner 2011) In other words McGraw places responsibility of hyper consumption on social trends, pressures, and even perhaps familial rituals for the ever-popular Black Friday. Another concept of Black Friday is one of mutual benefit for both consumer and retailer.Consumers benefit from large discounts on all sorts of items including clothing, electronics, furniture, and literally any other commodity available on the market. Retailers benefit by getting out of the red zone, finally making a profit for the fiscal year. The opportunities available on Black Friday is what drove 212 million s hoppers to stores during Black Friday weekend in 2011. (Wilson, 2010) Retailers experience surging sales during Black Friday and the days that follow. This monetary benefit is what drives their extensive promotion and deal offerings, further influencing the consumers willingness to partake in the shopping frenzy.In a society where a corporation or businesss main purpose is to grow profits for the benefit of its shareholders, a companys number one purpose is to increase sales, in order to increase profits. According to a New York Times article written by Adam Davidson, approximately one fifth of retailers total annual sales are made during the holiday shopping season. (Davidson, 2011) In conclusion, we can see that shopping on Black Friday brings people together in one way or another. For some, it brings people together in a positive way.Families and friends are able to work as a team who plan, prepare and execute their plans to achieve their goals. For others, Black Friday shoppers experience the negative affects of other peoples behavior. There are also advantages and disadvantages for both the consumer and retailer. Consumers get amazingly cheap prices on products while retailers experience a massive surge in sales. However one may look at Black Friday, it is a day that cannot be ignored. Its influence and popularity are ever growing and expanding. Reference Page Davidson, Adam. The Black Friday Effect Lets Stimulate the Economy with Inflation. The New York Times, 16 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. Herpen, Erica van, Rik Pieters, and Marcel Zeelenberg (2005) ,How Product Scarcity Impacts on Choice Snob and Bandwagon Effects, in Advances in Consumer Research Volume 32, eds. Geeta Menon and Akshay R. Rao, Advances in Consumer Research Volume 32 Association for Consumer Research, Pages 623-624. Faber, J. Ronald, OGuinn, C Thomas, and Krych, Raymond. (1987) Compulsive Consumption, in Advances in Consumer Research Volume 14, eds.Melanie Wallendorf and Paul Anders on, Advances in Consumer Research Volume 14 Association for Sonsumer Research, Pages 132-135. McGonigal, Kelly, Ph. D. The Science of Willpower. Comments on Black Friday Shopping How Stores Use Psychology to Fill Your Cart N. p. , 19 Nov. 2010. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. . McGraw, Peter, Ph. D. , and Warner, Joel. The Humor Code. The Link between Thanksgiving Gluttony and Black Friday Insanity. N. p. , 21 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. . Ridgwar, Nicole, Black Friday Sales Hit Record. CNNMoney. Cable News Netwrok, 26 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. Sarkis, Stephanie, Ph. D. Here, There, and Everywhere. Black Friday A Collective Consumption Ritual. N. p. , 20 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. . Thomas, Jane Boyd, and Peters, Cara. (2011) An exploratory investigation of Black Friday consumption rituals, International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 39 Iss 7, pp. 522 537 Wallendorf, M. , Arnould, E. We gather together consumption rituals of Thanksgiving Day, in Journal of Consu mer Research, (1991) Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 13-31. Wilson, April. By the Numbers Black Friday Shoppers and Their Impact on the Economy. The Luckie ReTink Tank. 23 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct 2012. .