Before there was Black Friday, there was J.R. Hudson's, the retail palace of my years in Detroit. So, when I noticed one Thanksgiving that the store was promoting an early a.m. opening on the day after the holiday, I asked the gals if they wanted to do a little shopping and some deli eating after.
We had so much fun that first year that we looked forward to it as a new Thanksgiving tradition.
Then, as is true of so many commercial ideas, it morphed into a monster. Families were robbed of their day off. People fought and grabbed. Now, it's not even a one day event.
What's wrong with us? That's what I was thinking as Christmas music was playing in my garage -- a full week before Thanksgiving!
What is wrong is the belief that material things we'll create some kind of lasting happiness. Thus, everything has been commercialized and you can't go to a ballgame without spending a fortune.
ReplyDeleteI used to love going into Pittsburgh to the big department stores - I know what you mean. Melinda Power
ReplyDeleteAt least all those new self storage buildings will also benefit from additional business!
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