After talking about needs and wants last week, the Black Friday sales were a great way for you to test out what you had learned and think about how you meet your needs.
How did you go? Did you manage to do the research and only purchase what you planned to, or did it get all too much and you found yourself saying yes, more frequently than no. Or were you able to switch off completely and avoid it altogether?
There was certainly lots of advice about checking prices, making sure they weren’t being inflated and then discounted. Tips on how to keep a check on how much you spent so you didn’t’ go overboard. How not to succumb to the scarcity messages if you didn’t hit buy now button straight away. It’s all very good advice, and great in theory, but the reality is, when it is in your face so much, it can be hard to switch off from all the hype and leave logic at the door and let your emotions take over.
I’m pretty good at keeping my inbox clear of sales emails as I’m rather fond of the unsubscribe button, so not much was getting through to my inbox during the week. But… I also like to listen to the radio when I’m working and on Friday it was constant, Black Friday this, Black Friday sale there. By the end of the day, it was all a bit of a blur. But I still resisted purchasing anything online.
I had been doing a bit of research for a week or so for a hands-free lead for Jett. I had looked at prices, brands, reviews. I was taking my own advice and researching rather than being impulsive. After talking to a couple of friends who were doing the same research, we all decided on a particular brand and style. We knew what the pre–Black Friday price was, and we patiently waited for the sales to begin, thinking we could grab a bargain.
I checked a couple of times on Friday. No discount. What, surely not, the one thing I wanted (and decided that Jett needed), wasn’t on sale, how unfair. I know, I’ll wait until Saturday, maybe then it will be on sale. Nothing, it’s still full price.
What am I going to do? Buy it of course. It was something I was already intending to purchase. A Black Friday sale would have been a bonus. The research had been done; this was the product that I wanted. There were other options that were on sale but based on my research they weren’t the right fit, so I wasn’t tempted to save $40 just for the sake of the ‘sale’.
I felt rather proud of myself, as a spender money personality, Black Friday, and the boxing day sales, were something I used to find very hard to resist. That word SALE dragged me into the shops to spend money on things I didn’t really need, and often didn’t have the money to pay for.
While I am busy patting myself on the back for a good decision. Mum is having a great time with the sales, but again it was very considered spending. She had been given a gift voucher and decided that Black Friday would be a good time to use it. She was right, she bought exactly what she wanted (50% off) and had money left over for a few other bits and pieces that were nice to haves.
Overall, our Black Friday experience was a positive one. Judging by the number of times I have seen the courier’s delivering packages to our neighbours, it looks like they had fun too!
The topic of Thanksgiving came up while I was out with friends, as among us was someone from the States and they were missing the family get together. We all agreed what a great tradition, families getting together to share a meal together and give thanks for what you have. There’re no gifts, just families connecting (and sometimes arguing too, it is family after all). But the next day, at the sales, it’s a free for all. Grannies having fisty cuffs in the store over a toy for their grandchild. Queuing up for hours to get a cheap TV. Quite a contrast from the night before. Why do we do this we wondered?
I know the answer. Money is emotional, it’s as simple as that, there is so much going on in our minds when it comes to money, we very easily slip from being logical and rational to being emotional.
Understanding your triggers and what is going on in your own head about money, can turn all your experiences into different, and hopefully, more pleasant ones.
In the comments below, I’d love to hear your Black Friday stories.
*Lynda Moore is a Money Mentalist coach and New Zealand’s only certified New Money Story® mentor. Lynda helps you understand why you do the things you do with your money, when we all know we should spend less than we earn. You can contact her here.
29 Comments
I start from the POV that we're overconsuming the planet. Some of that is because we're an overshot species, but most of it is mindless discretionary first-world self-indulgence.
So I didn't buy anything, nor did I look.
Although I did think about Bernays, and what a pity it is we cannot collectively sue him. Should have been incarcerated for the harm he has caused and is causing.
But we'd also have to sue and incarcerate all those that have used and continue to use his work.
We could make it public that psychology has been used against the masses, and it wouldn't be enough without being able to show how to reprogram, how to repair the damage already caused. Most wouldn't accept it. Ignorance is bliss!
It's so ingrained that most don't know they're using it, as can be seen in social media, copyright and marketing.
Finally got the power tools to stop borrowing from the parents. 5 piece DeWalt and Mitre 10 had a black Friday special 'clearance' for $999 and said it was marked down from $1899. Looked at it just now and still on clearance but up to $1349. So seems to have been worth it for that piece of kit.
I remember what the Boxing Day and suchlike sales were like in England in the 1960s - people fighting over things and pushing people out of the way! No way do I want to get involved in things like that, I'm not that desperate and have more dignity, so stay home on days like that. Buying online is the way to go now; failing that I think Briscoes has it right - miss one sale and you know there will be another coming along soon!
I don't get involved with black friday sales.
Interesting references to the emotional side, the logical and rational side. Humans are emotional creatures, we're meant to be. As human beings we have emotional needs - belonging, acceptance, safety, compassion, empathy etc. And we have physical needs - health, touch, affection etc. This is what Maslow referred to. If we have all that met we're better able contribute positively to humanity, to evolve to a higher state of being. It would appear we've overly developed the logical mind (most of it is irrational). Most of our constructs are geared towards ego needs - status, achievements, competition, materialism, external validation - and aims to exploit ones emotions, especially fear, shame and guilt, and most of it is in the sub and unconscious. There's a lot of psychology behind the sales and marketing, behind money. We're ultimately overthinking and not hearing the gut instinct, the intuition. In many ways our minds have been hijacked.
Hyper focused on the "value" of money and no longer knowing the value of the item or what needs it's meeting.
I wanted a couple of tech items, and the best deals by far - after checking our Pricespy and a couple of other comparison sites - were on Aliexpress and Amazon.
Who now shops bricks and mortar stores for anything other than things like food and clothes where considerations like fit and non-repeatable qualities are important?
Going to a store for commodity items like technology products, or things like building materials for that matter, adds very little value and has to change to control costs.
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