And if the anti-consumer aspect doesn't appeal to you, do it for the employees who have to open the store at 4 am and the ones who were in on Thanksgiving stocking the store with all those door-busters.

Yes, because supporting the local and global economies is a bad idea. Joblessness and poverty is better apparently.

@Mills: What are you saying? Youu want the employees NOT to get paid!?

Is it ok to lump this in with the "Don't buy gas on XX/XX/XXXX!" emails? The both have the same end result, no?

In a startling coincidence, I just got this in my email:

Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping

My checking account balance already sent me this memo...

Meh, I intend to spend Friday at home mucking about with the family. I'll probably work on my Mom's bicycle - upgrading it to aluminum rims (650A) and seven speed trigger shifters.

I'll probably intersperse it with some Guitar Hero 3 (when I can pry it away from my wife). Maybe I'll take a trip to the library or take a perambulation around the neighborhood.

Really though, anything other than dealing with the masses of shopping crazed consumers sounds good to me.

@MercuryPDX: "What Would Jesus Buy?" looks like it's going to be hysterical.

It doesn't have to have the same result as "Don't buy gas on XX/XX/XXXX!" as long as everyone who doesn't go out on Black Friday stagger out when they do go shopping. I think the point is not to participate in the general insanity that goes on that day, not to avoid buying anything at all.

Is it ok to do some shoping online? Because that's what I'll be doing between playing PC games & eating leftovers. :D

Whether you decide to go shopping or not, those same employees still have to go in and stock the shelves Thanksgiving night, and they still have to open the doors at 4 am. Not participating in the frenzy isn't going to change the fact that they've still got to get up. Even if only 5 people were to show up, they still have to open the doors, because they're expecting shoppers.

@Mills: So, what, we make all the employees who get up at 4:00 AM and spend Thanksgiving stocking happier by making all their efforts pointless?

"Some might argue you're swapping one mob mentality for another, but at least one costs less."

The post is in error. It costs less to not shop when sales are in place? Therefore I should buy my gifts when items are full price? Since: "hey, I didn't get you anything for xmas this year" won't fly, you have to assume you are buying something.

Therefore...

Buying gifts on sale costs less than buying gifts when they are not on sale.

I support this 100%. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not go out and buy anything on the so called "Black Friday"!!!

(this way there is less of a crowd for when I'm out shopping)

@CaffeinatedSquint: "Whether you decide to go shopping or not, those same employees still have to go in and stock the shelves Thanksgiving night, and they still have to open the doors at 4 am."

Yes, but at least you're no longer part of the reason why. It's a movement in its infancy, and it will only be pointless (over time) if a majority of people dismiss it as you just have.

@Rectilinear Propagation: thank you. I don't think this is some plan to bring the stores to their knees.

@MyCokesBiggerThanYours: "Yes, because supporting the local and global economies is a bad idea. Joblessness and poverty is better apparently."

You're not exactly an economist, are you?

Increasing your ecological footprint by buying crap that nobody needs is bad for the planet, and it's short-sighted to claim that the economy needs you to do so.

@CaffeinatedSquint, @humphrmi: Maybe next year they won't have to go in at the butt crack of dawn if it stops being profitable for the company to make them.

@vanilla-fro: also, are the deals really that sweet and if they are.....don't they have more sales later anyway?

Chances are the prices are all jacked up a month before black friday so that when they lower the prices on the door busters, they still make a killing and may in fact still be selling the crap for full price.***

*** may not be true, but it wouldn't surprise anybody on here I bet.

@Rectilinear Propagation: I kind of doubt that it'll ever stop being profitable. Call my cynical, but I just don't think consumers will ever be able to ignore a good sale.

Count me in, I never shop on black Friday. I'm cheap and I don't need anything right now.

@MyCokesBiggerThanYours: Oh boo hoo. Still not shopping.

@noquarter: Good luck with that.

@Rectilinear Propagation: Have you seen the turnover rates at retail stores that do Black Friday? "Maybe next year" ... sorry I can't see how that could make any employees happy this year.

@vanilla-fro: Most of the deals are crap, but if you look hard you can find some good ones. Best Buy is selling a pretty slick TV for $1200 that normally runs $1900-$2000 and has been at that price for months. Unless they conspired to raise the prices for 4 straight months, that is a pretty good deal.

@MyCokesBiggerThanYours:
What are you, a shill for the Resident, George Putz? "The way to defeat terrorism is to buy things!" That's how you sound.

In case you couldn't grasp the concept, the buycott that is "Buy Nothing Day" is voluntary, it's not a law. You sound like buttheads (a/k/a smokers) who freak out at any mention of "Cold Turkey Day".

I'm not going to shop on Friday because I bloody well hate the crowds. Besides, Friday is the day me and my DH drive up to see a friend. We'll be on the road and rockin' out.

The Friday after Thanksgiving is a normal day for me, except that the train less crowded, the office is practicaly empty and I can actually get stuff done because I'm not being bugged annoying coworkers. So it's like a vacation day at work. I won't be buying anything other than train fare.

@mexifelio:

Haahaa, you said it better than I ever could.

I can't handle the crowds on Black Friday.

The only thing more annoying than insanity that's Black Friday are the sanctimonious anti-consumers who equate the whole thing to evil.

I think I'll buy something I don't need on Friday out of spite.

@MyCokesBiggerThanYours: It would be nice if part-time employees received holiday pay, and if working retail meant that you got the same holidays off as office-workers.

But I've also worked retail for several holiday seasons, and I have a different perspective on the extended holiday hours, horrible scheduling, and overconsumption in America.

@KJones: I don't think it's that people don't get the voluntary aspect of the whole thing, it's just that a bunch of us are probably sick of getting crap from people who tell us that we'd be saving the environment if we'd only not shop on Black Friday. Whatever.

@coan_net: I agree, if only to save the children the displeasure of standing in the long lines. Won't someone think of the children?!?!

@Mills: No offense but I would think that a large portion of people on this site have worked retail during the holidays. And when working retail you should realize that 'hey , I am gonna have to work alot near holidays'. Just a heads up cpas have to work alot during tax time.

"buy nothing day" is rather silly and proves nothing. If you're gonna buy a tv it doesn't matter when you buy it. If you honestly think you consume to much you should reduce it though out the year not on some magical day

I hate shopping at Christmas time because crowds make me extremely anxious, but my sister-in-law talked me into going out last year on Black Friday. It was way less crowded than I expected, there WERE a lot of bargains, and I got lots of early shopping done, which I hardly ever do.

That said, I STILL think it's a good idea to join a little movement to not go shopping on Black Friday, and this is MY main reason: The ads keep telling us to buy, buy, buy. Women especially are supposed to LOVE shopping. I sometimes like finding a bargain, but I hate shopping. Even worse, I hate being told what to do by advertisers and random socialital rules.

What if instead of participating in black friday and this buy nothing nonsense, we all just donate whatever money we would've spent that day to charity? That way we still part with our hard-earned cash, but instead of going into the pockets of wealthy CEO's it goes into the mouths of poor children. HOORAY!

@forgeten: There's a difference between "I'm going to have to work a lot near holidays" and "I have to be up a 3am the day after Thanksgiving, deal with 10,000 cheap bastards, and work 18 hours before cleaning up the massive mess at the end". Trust me. I worked Apple Retail's highest volume store (in our region) last black friday.

Working black friday SUCKS.

@Mills:
I have never worked retail, but I have to agree with Forgeten, as a part-time employee, you work when you are needed and, in retail that is during the holidays. It comes with the territory. I only get true days off when the markets are closed, whether I'm on vacation or not, but that's what I choose to do and I don't complain about it or ask for extra compensation.

Those of us who work in offices don't have "shifts" and we don't get to request days off with no penalty. There are trade-offs and if you want a better job, go to school, work hard and get one. At very least, try to climb up to management where you might have a more normal schedule.

We live in a massive global economy. The particular economy of the US is based almost completely on consumption. This is unsustainable. See the issues with the credit markets for evidence.

In the face of this consumerist machine, what can one do? One can choose to opt out and conserve one's resources for necessary things, rather than more empty possessions.

I plan to participate.

This is my second black friday in retail. I would appreciate it if most of you bought nothing but if some of you bought things so i can earn some commission, you know since I've got to be there anyway.

@WorkingOnYourInvoice:

Thats why some people decided to go to college, you kow since retail jobs aren't as glamorous as people say they are, no wait, no one thinks retail is glamorous.

Whaa i have a crap job. Whaa i don't wanna go o work early. Go get your shine box.

I think stores are already killing the black Friday concept with internet sales and efforts to get people to shop earlier in the year. The important thing to remember is that Christmas Eve or the last Saturday before Christmas always work out to be the biggest shopping days of the year. Consumer laziness is still the biggest driving force on when people will shop.

I await some retailer to offer a Black Friday in June sale to go with my Christmas in July celebration.

@WorkingOnYourInvoice: I am quite aware how much working during the holidays sucks. Personally Christmas eve to me is worse since thats when I always had the really special killjoys. But I realized that this was part of the job and when I decided it was to much I moved on.

From the point of view of someone who works in retail, and has to be in early as hell on Friday, I implore you, please, obey this. I can't speak for everyone in retail, but I'd be willing to bet there are others who think as I do.

See, if you don't come in, we don't have to help you. We're already on edge thanks to our douchebag managers flipping out over it; we'd prefer to get through the ordeal as painlessly as possible. Thus, fewer customers are a good thing. So, yeah, you really don't need that (insert item here) that's on sale. Trust me on this. It's not essential. Don't bother us with this shit, please.

are you people crazy?! don't you know that if you don't go shopping, the economy will collapse, and that means the terrorists are gonna win!

The last time I actually bought anything worthwhile on a non-BF basis from any of these stores was in January.
"Buy Nothing Day" is pretty irrelevant to me, sometimes I can spend up to months without buying anything except food and other necessities. If I REALLY want something, I'll either buy it off a friend, eBay, or a discount store.

I have been trying to figure out what posesses ANYONE to want to go anywhere near a retail store the day after Thanksgiving?
Can someone explain it to me?
There is no deal that I "might" get that would be worth it to me.
Same goes for Century 21 in Manhattan...NEVER.

@mexifelio: comedy gold.

As much as i WANT to like AdBusters, i hate them. The only people who read it are of a like mindset, and i hate their readers because most of their readers are probably the same jerks who are blocking my afternoon commute with their impossibly pointless "critical mass" protests.

The fact of the matter is (as has been pointed out), this will accomplish NOTHING, just like the "dont buy gas" spam.

So you didn't buy the presents you plan to buy on Friday (when they are cheaper), now you're going to go spend more on them on a different day? Who is AdBusters looking out for?

This sort of passive-aggressive form of direct action makes my head hurt just thinking about how ultimately futile it is.

I don't need anybody telling me what to do on Black Friday. I'll do what I want, which is to stay home.

@MsClear:

tool