In a word, two words actually-
It SUCKS.
This year consumers are supposed to have the power.. not so. We are in fact powerless thanks the demise of the small businesses that used to account for the majority of retail. We’re now statistics, our behavior tracked and predicted. And, they get us at 4:00 am, offer items that they don’t have, or have the legal minimum off with the hopes that we’ll buy something else.
It’s time for a consumer revolution in my opinion. The best protest, keep your wallet in your pocket, and tell them the off when the reach for it.
Here’s my letter of the day to the folks at Amazon.com- a company I used to like.
Three years in a row I have been unable to purchase any of your black friday offers. The three TV’s I attempted to buy today, were sold out in seconds, before I could even click on fucking button. This makes me wonder how many you actually had, and even more how many folks like me who, are decent customers of yours but after enduring this BS will no longer shop with you. I can only guess that your intention is to get me to come to your store, see a deal and settle for something else when the deal is unattainable. That, is bait and switch and is unethical and in many cases illegal, but I’m sure you’ve found a loophole.
When you’re as big you are, clearly you can treat your customers poorly, after all, with all your analytics we’re j
ust Statistics. You can move me from 40 purchases a year column to the 0 if you’re keeping track.
On the other hand, you’ve given me my blog topic for the day, Thanks for that.
They’re just doing what everyone else is doing..
My Hall of Retail Shame for today’s Black Friday
1) KOHLS- 4:00 am? Really? Here’s the message from Kohls- Employees, since you can’t get jobs anywhere else right now.. our message to you is Row Well And Live.. Roman Galley Slave Style. To our customers, we’re proud to say our Kohls Customer so stupid.. we can get them out into the store on 5 hours sleep after Thanksgiving with promises of deals that we’re not going to offer our “normal” customers, who aren’t getting up at 3:30. Since that’s me what I’m reading in that, and would suggest the rest of you read into is. At Kohls we’re giving great deals to people with no life. Since you have a life, we don’t want your business.
2) JC Penney- This is a company that is in it’s death spiral. Since they’ve irrelevant to the market for years, they just do what ever Kohls makes them do. .com business excepted. They too, opened at 4:00 and BTW offered the same shit they do every year. Their circular could have been dated 1989 as the stuff was the same, Jewelry and cheap kitchen stuff.
3) Amazon.com- This one hurts a bit as I really liked them. However their Black Friday antics are reprehensible. Their strategy is to build up the buzz, offer amazingly low deals and then.. poof- sell them out in seconds. Last year they had the audacity to offer lotteries for the “opportunity” to buy stuff at great prices. I never won such an opportunity. So I’m bitter. Sort of.. What it did tell me however is that many folks were buying stuff at cheaper prices than I was which meant I wasn’t going to buy anything at all. This year.. no lottery, just no inventory. Sad to say I’m on Amazon boycott now.
4) Apple- They crack me up. The Worlds Most Expensive electronics store sends out emails, banners etc on their site that great deals on black Friday were coming. What were the deals? On only two MAC models they offered an 8% discount. On their soon to be discontinued iPod, about 15%.. Better than nothing but not worth the hype.
5) Gander Mountain- Opened from 3:00 to 9:00 on Thanksgiving Day. Again, employees, we own you. You customers, have some turkey and then come on down and try out the new 9mm from Glock, you’re gonna give more than thanks.
Now, the winners
1) Wal-Mart- Hands down beat the crap out everyone. Their prices were unbeatable, they had loads of inventory, they controlled their front doors (death of a customer being a good motivator) it’s pretty rosy down in Bentonville these days and they continue to set the bar.
2) Half-Price Books- Probably the best Black Friday offering of the day. Nice mellow 6am opening, coffee and cookies at the door, 20% off the entire store. Enter to win a $100.00 gift card. Love the love I get Half Price.
This year, join the rebellion folks.. keep your wallet in your pants or purse until they offer you something worth buying.
