Black Friday carnage 2015

[Jeff Matthews]

Rich people don't stand in lines.  

[Max2]

Rich people don't stand in lines.  

 

Nah, just a little common sense to stay out of them. 

 

How has the term "Black Friday" not become offensive yet? 

[ZEUS121996]

I'm offended by the term black Friday, why can't it be called Cracker Friday?

IDK where that happens where they pop the doors, around here people line up and get a number and when it's gone, it's gone

It has to be done for the cameras and they have to pay people, the same principle as Jerry Springer etc. on the TV

 

Mark

[Arrow#422]

I'm offended by the term black Friday, why can't it be called Cracker Friday?

IDK where that happens where they pop the doors, around here people line up and get a number and when it's gone, it's gone

It has to be done for the cameras and they have to pay people, the same principle as Jerry Springer etc. on the TV

 

Mark

Right on - See post #48

[Jim Naseum]

That Pavlovian response works both ways.  My wife now won't buy anything unless it's on sale at least 25% off.     

 

Then she can't resist buying with savings that great.      

 

Yeah, actually, there's a lot of study being put into this. There's a fear that once margins plunge, it's impossible to get them back up, because there is way, way more capacity than demand. If people will only buy when prices are slashed to the bone, and companies have to constantly grow, you can see that the pressure to slash price is growing. 

 

My wife is kind of that way. She buys some of her clothes at Kohl's, but ONLY because, they send her "hard cash" coupons (no minimum purchase req;d) for $10 and $20, which can be combined with discounts. She has bought shirts for say $2, because she gets the $20 and the slash price discount. So, she has been trained now to wait always for the hard cash coupon before ever going to that store. 

[Shiva]

Bernays developed all the standard propaganda techniques, which he politely named, Public Relations. We have always been based on commercial principles. He just developed all the modern ways of manipulation through media.

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According to the videos I linked, before Bernays, people bought things when they needed them and manufacturers wanted to change that.  One of his main contributions was to implant in the human mass psyche the need to buy things not because they needed them but because they will feel better about themselves by owning them, even though there is no truth to that.

And he wedded commerce with living a democratic and free society in that the true freedom of the people is found in buying whatever you want and also to create a society based on discontent and the need for more and more.   So, the main goal of all this is to "placate the masses with the purchase of goods, while those in power can continue to stay in it" as stated in the first video that is.  He also is responsible for starting everyday people in investing in the stock market so that they would have the illusion that they are part owners in things.  Truly amazing what this one guy did with the knowledge of his uncle Sigmund Freud, that man at is core is irrational and needs to be guided for his own good.   He is the first person to introduce product placement in movies and to use celebrities to endorse products to induce the masses to long for what they didn't have and into buying frenzies. 

[Jim Naseum]

I am, no doubt wrong, but I thought the genesis of "Black Friday" came from the accounting term of being "in the black" which is to say, profitable. Versus in the red. It kicked off Holiday shopping, and many retailers insist that only holiday shopping keeps them "in the black" for the year. 

[Jim Naseum]

 

Bernays developed all the standard propaganda techniques, which he politely named, Public Relations. We have always been based on commercial principles. He just developed all the modern ways of manipulation through media.

Sent from my SM-T330NU using Tapatalk

According to the videos I linked, before Bernays, people bought things when they needed them and manufacturers wanted to change that.  One of his main contributions was to implant in the human mass psyche the need to buy things not because they needed them but because they will feel better about themselves by owning them, even though there is no truth to that.

And he wedded commerce with living a democratic and free society in that the true freedom of the people is found in buying whatever you want and also to create a society based on discontent and the need for more and more.   So, the main goal of all this is to "placate the masses with the purchase of goods, while those in power can continue to stay in it" as stated in the first video that is.  He also is responsible for starting everyday people in investing in the stock market so that they would have the illusion that they are part owners in things.  Truly amazing what this one guy did with the knowledge of his uncle Sigmund Freud, that man at is core is irrational and needs to be guided for his own good.   He is the first person to introduce product placement in movies and to use celebrities to endorse products to induce the masses to long for what they didn't have and into buying frenzies. 

 

 

His influence immediately was felt in politics where they learned how to manipulate the population with propaganda to create a dream state where people thought they were choosing their leaders. He really is, along with Ivy Lee, one of the most influential people of the 20th century. Also read Walter Lippman's works and essays in the same era to understand the full expanse of the disgust elites had for democracy and the common man. It's quite enlightening. It has led to the current system which we might summarize like this: elites select, the masses elect. 

[RT FAN]

I've also seen guys making $250k leave a $2 tip on a $75 lunch for two. He's called "thrifty" and is a role model for cheapskates everywhere. Go figure

 

 Where I live guys making that kind of cake leave a minimum of 20% on bar tabs & restaurant bills, better service yields 25% tips.

[Jim Naseum]

 

I've also seen guys making $250k leave a $2 tip on a $75 lunch for two. He's called "thrifty" and is a role model for cheapskates everywhere. Go figure

 

 Where I live guys making that kind of cake leave a minimum of 20% on bar tabs & restaurant bills, better service yields 25% tips.

 

 

I'm guessing you live in a very metropolitan and even cosmopolitan area! 

[Paducah Home Theater]

I've also seen guys making $250k leave a $2 tip on a $75 lunch for two. He's called "thrifty" and is a role model for cheapskates everywhere. Go figure.

 

If he were that thrifty, why is he buying $37 lunches?  

 

In the book "the millionaire next door", they found that the millionaires who lived like normal people had a mantra of "I am my favorite charity".  For example they offered something like $100 for a low-key millionaire to come in and do an interview, offering to donate it to their favorite charity, but most kept the money for themselves.  

[Jim Naseum]

If he were that thrifty, why is he buying $37 lunches?

 

Because in most F500 business situations, it's considered bad form to take a customer, or perhaps potential partner out to Arby's or KFC for lunch. In cities, like LA, NY, SF, San Jose, Chicago, $75 will barely buy lunch and a cocktail for two people. 

[Jim Naseum]

In the book "the millionaire next door", they found that the millionaires who lived like normal people had a mantra of "I am my favorite charity".

 

"Really?" he asked in astonishment. I'm utterly shocked! 

 

I remember when that book was popular. Everyone I knew that read it I tried to get them to read "Your Money or Your Life" affectionately known in the cult as "Ymoyl."

Edited December 1, 2015 by MrCatsup

[Paducah Home Theater]

 

If he were that thrifty, why is he buying $37 lunches?

 

Because in most F500 business situations, it's considered bad form to take a customer, or perhaps potential partner out to Arby's or KFC for lunch. In cities, like LA, NY, SF, San Jose, Chicago, $75 will barely buy lunch and a cocktail for two people. 

 

 

Hell around here you can get a nice lunch most anywhere for $10.  Last time I spent $37 on a meal was for black angus filet at an upscale Japanese restaurant in the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, was supposed to be from a more pure breed of black angus, like the ancestors and not the 51% variety.  They were quite proud of it.  It was $37.  At least their service was top notch.  Can't imagine only leaving a $1 tip per person.  

 

[RT FAN]

I love the quote from one of the interviewees in "The millionaire next door", when offered high end beer or wine he said "my two favorite beers are Budweiser & free."

[muel]

 

Bernays developed all the standard propaganda techniques, which he politely named, Public Relations. We have always been based on commercial principles. He just developed all the modern ways of manipulation through media.

Sent from my SM-T330NU using Tapatalk

According to the videos I linked, before Bernays, people bought things when they needed them and manufacturers wanted to change that.  One of his main contributions was to implant in the human mass psyche the need to buy things not because they needed them but because they will feel better about themselves by owning them, even though there is no truth to that.

And he wedded commerce with living a democratic and free society in that the true freedom of the people is found in buying whatever you want and also to create a society based on discontent and the need for more and more.   So, the main goal of all this is to "placate the masses with the purchase of goods, while those in power can continue to stay in it" as stated in the first video that is.  He also is responsible for starting everyday people in investing in the stock market so that they would have the illusion that they are part owners in things.  Truly amazing what this one guy did with the knowledge of his uncle Sigmund Freud, that man at is core is irrational and needs to be guided for his own good.   He is the first person to introduce product placement in movies and to use celebrities to endorse products to induce the masses to long for what they didn't have and into buying frenzies. 

 

 

and part of the definition of "poor" becomes the inability to afford stuff that others can (or perceive that they can afford... who knows what debts their neighbor might have).  

[Jim Naseum]

Speaking of Books

 

 

"When someone works for less pay than she can live on—when, for example, she goes hungry so that you can eat more cheaply and conveniently—then she has made a great sacrifice for you, she has made you a gift of some part of her abilities, her health, and her life. The “working poor,” as they are approvingly termed, are in fact the major philanthropists of our society. They neglect their own children so that the children of others will be cared for; they live in substandard housing so that other homes will be shiny and perfect; they endure privation so that inflation will be low and stock prices high. To be a member of the working poor is to be an anonymous donor, a nameless benefactor, to everyone else." - Barbara Ehrenreich - "Nickel and Dimed"

[Jeff Matthews]

Speaking of Books

 

 

"When someone works for less pay than she can live on—when, for example, she goes hungry so that you can eat more cheaply and conveniently—then she has made a great sacrifice for you, she has made you a gift of some part of her abilities, her health, and her life. The “working poor,” as they are approvingly termed, are in fact the major philanthropists of our society. They neglect their own children so that the children of others will be cared for; they live in substandard housing so that other homes will be shiny and perfect; they endure privation so that inflation will be low and stock prices high. To be a member of the working poor is to be an anonymous donor, a nameless benefactor, to everyone else." - Barbara Ehrenreich - "Nickel and Dimed"

 

Since it's so rosy and so nice, let's just let them stay poor and enjoy all the giving. 'Tis the Season!

[Wolfbane]

This is what Christmas is all about.

 

That's why Canadian Retailers have their big discounts off retail prices on Boxing Day (December 26th) every year.

[Scrappydue]

Chaos can be blamed squarely on the retail stores NOT having an orderly process for item distribution.  It starts with an orderly pre-sale line up, vouchers given out for "hot" items, and NO buyer possession prior to being paid in full.  These types of systems have been implemented in experienced retailers for the safety of the staff as well as the customers.  Not having those systems in place results in the chaos or riot like behavior shown in those videos.  

 

One could surely argue that the lack of such implementation was purposely done to crate the frenzy shown.

maybe its just the small town i am from but my local wal mart was extremely organized this year. they never close. lats year they unveiled everything at 6pm and people were wating by stuff they wanted. they knew where it was thanks to a map of the store and where things were staged at. they also offered rain checks on tons of items they knew would sell out very fast. 

 

this year was no rain checks however they did things a little different. this year the unveiled at 4pm and people had 2 hours to shop and gather what they wanted. if they checked out before 6 they payed full price for everything. if they waited till 6 then they got the deal prices. 

big ticket items were all done in the garden center and you went and filled out a voucher and payed for it up front. circled around the store in a certain direction and pulled up to the tire and lube and the large item (tv's, trampolines, grills, few other things) were then loaded in. 

 

i didnt go until i was completely done with family stuff which was about 1030 pm. i walked right in grabbed every blu ray i wanted. strolled back to check out the tv's they had left. they had every single model left. and lots of them. i bought a couple 55" tvs to bring home and compare them and keep the nicer one. bought a couple cheap blu ray players for the bedrooms so we dont have to worry about having dvd copies of certain movies for my son. 

 

talked to the police while i was there and they said everyone was very calm and orderly and they had zero issues all night. 

 

i think you nailed it with stores being organized. although i could be 100% wrong. bigger cities might have so many crazy people no amount of organization would help. and in that case i would move. period.