Sense on Cents

The idea of people flocking to shopping malls in the wee hours on the Friday after Thanksgiving always baffled me. To this male’s mind, just thinking about the shopping experience is unsettling. Going up and down the parking lot lanes looking for spot, darting in and out of different stores, dealing with impatient, if not rude, individuals. These activities are deemed to be enjoyable?

I define a successful shopping experience as how quickly I can get in and out of a store.

Having broached this topic with my beloved year after year, she finally simplified it by comparing the shopping experience for those who love to shop to the football experience for those who love football. In thinking of it from that standpoint, I gained a fuller appreciation. Getting to the stadium early to tailgate. Dealing with the crowds entering and exiting the stadium. The ebb and flow of the game as your team gains and loses momentum. Okay, now I get it.

In fact, tomorrow as shoppers flock back to the malls for a second day of holiday shopping, I will be driving 260 miles round trip to Philadelphia to witness my alma mater, College of the Holy Cross, play Villanova in the first round of the FCS football playoffs. Now that’s fun.

In regard to the shopping, while analysts will pore over data in an attempt to determine consumers’ appetite and preferences, there is no doubt that price points will be the most important variable. Price wars have already started to break out amongst a number of outlets. The Wall Street Journal highlights these developments in writing, Retailers Shift Discount Focus Online:

Major retailers including Target Corp., J.C. Penney Co. and Best Buy Co. are cranking up promotions to avoid a slump after Black Friday and keep customers shopping through what promises to be a difficult season.

The weak economy and growing clout of online sellers is upending carefully calculated promotions and positioning retailers’ Web sites as the frontline in this year’s competition.

Speaking of online, I would be most appreciative if during this holiday season you would consider using some of the shopping links provided here at Sense on Cents. Check out the sidebars for links to great deals at Amazon, 1-Stop Florists, GiftTree, etc.

Thanks for your support and Go Cross Go!!

LD

This entry was posted on Friday, November 27th, 2009 at 10:23 AM and is filed under General, retail, shopping. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.