Black Friday
 

Got myself a nice Black Friday deal today..saved £200 on the RRP. Thing is...Amazon kindly sent me an email telling me that an item on my watch list was 40% discounted for the next hour..logged on..ordered it..arrives wednesday..job done!

Can't for the life of me understand the muppets who queue up for hours waiting for midnight when the local superstore opens, so that they can squeeze and fight through sweaty bodies to buy something that probably has less discount than they could get online???

I realise that Black Friday has been hyped by our media scrabbling for new human interest stories, regaling us with previous deathrace battles in Walmart stores throughout the Bible belt of the USA, hoping that here on Airstrip One the rabble will blindly follow, thus creating the next days headlines..obviously some of us so sheeplike that we fall for this hype judging from the coverage on the news today.

Do people do this so that they can tell their grandchildren 'I was there at the battle of Tesco in 2014'...do they imagine that in 2114 will there be a memorial service for those who failed to get their discounted Blurays, home cinema systems or mock Hope diamonds?

The frightening thing is that these susceptible muppets are the ones who sit on juries and vote in elections.

Re: Black Friday
 

A bargain is only a bargain if you need it.
Slick advertising convinces you that you need it.
Black Friday = consumerfest

Re: Black Friday
 

I agree with you Margaret. If you do not need something then no matter how cheap it is, it isn't a bargain.
It is all a ploy to get you to dip your hands into your pockets and spend your cash.
Guinness, if you got something that you had been watching, then yes.....you have saved yourself some money.
I would not queue for hours to buy a TV.....and then nearly get killed in the crush.
That is a mugs game.

Re: Black Friday
 

Yeah...the point of Black Friday is to get you to buy.....

I was already looking to buy and shopping around for the best deal and was in the right place/right time....go lucky me :)

What both of you have posted points out is that really it's a con by the sellers, which I agree with...

But what about those so..so.. many people who fall for the con that end up coming to blows, who are these people? why do they fall for the hype?....and these people who are so easily swayed by the media are sometimes put into a position of power which affects us all..

Tomorrows Telegraph has the headline 'Black and Blue Friday'....even the highbrow media has to sell it wares. Is it any wonder that our country is screwed?

Re: Black Friday
 

Over here for Thanksgiving with my son and family, BF has been diluted by many stores having preBF sales.
Just an extra shopping day with the last Saturday before Christmas expected to be busier.
Best headline for me,
"Lame Duck President pardons Turkey" and they think we have some strange customs eh?

Re: Black Friday
 

Black Friday is YET another dreadful American import which has no relevance to us, because it is based on Thanksgiving Day, and we still have four weeks to Christmas.

What will be the next American import? Shooting dead unarmed teenagers who have their hands in the air, then saying our conscience is clear, perhaps?

Or killing 12 year olds playing with replica guns, maybe.

The mind boggles.

Re: Black Friday
 

what crime had the turkey commited

if it was gang related crime it will probbably fall back into gang activity so pointles pardoning it or do they have rehabilitation programs in place to ensure turkeys dont re offend ?

Re: Black Friday
 

Another satirical headline. "Obama pardons Californian Turkey" Turkey says "I don't need a pardon I need a job"
:D

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I just had to look it up-what strange people these Americans are.

Just being a turkey? One of the ugliest birds in the world(also American, ugly and strange) and they don't even taste that good.

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Shows the true nature of people - squabbling over a cheap TV set...punching out pensioners to get their hands on a new computer or phone :hehetable

Re: Black Friday
 

Looked like legalised looting to me. I wonder how many of those that were televised are ashamed of themselves today? I think I'd be sat with my head in a paper bag if I'd been caught on camera fighting like a navvy for some outdated cr@p that the stores were offloading on unsuspecting mugs.

Re: Black Friday
 

Lewd behaviour in a public place. ;)

Re: Black Friday
 

Christmas to me about family and spontaneous acts of kindness to all not about a effin big flat screen telly.

Re: Black Friday
 

Yes, and that is exactly the way it should be.......though many folk have lost that concept......sad though this is.

Re: Black Friday
 

The rotten behaviour of British shoppers isn't the fault of the Americans; and it has nothing to do with the overreaction of American coppers. If Brits choose to behave like ignorant greedy assholes, it's their choice. Nobody is forcing you guys to ape American customs.

And remember, they don't have drunken, violent hooligans at their football games. If you are blaming others for faults stamped "Made in the UK", maybe you should go shopping for some discount logic.

Re: Black Friday
 

its not its fault it was born with its testicles under its chin :(

Re: Black Friday
 

Black Friday ie. when the bargains were available used to occur at a logical time, which was Boxing Day but nowadays, with instant this and instant that the bargains are only available to those who have nothing better to do than queue up in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
I haven't got the time or the inclination to join in with this mayhem as I am far too busy earning a living and paying taxes to keep these wasters in beer, fags and onesies.

Re: Black Friday
 

Well said, theres knobheads everywhere n Englands got as many in comparison to the yanks.;)

Re: Black Friday
 

And to emphasise your point...a Canadians view in song... and can't argue with this logic at all ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl75Ou3hNTY

Re: Black Friday
 

I was thinking more of the constant gobbling! :D

Re: Black Friday
 

Perhaps they had already taken a lead from the TV showing all the riots in the US?

Re: Black Friday
 

No need to look across the Atlantic Mr Y the Tottenham riots in the aftermath of the shooting of Mark Duggan maybe?

Incidentally I am intrigued that the bulk of the Black Friday troubles if the BBC is to be believed happened in the North of England.

Not rioting in my book, just selfish, me me me people wanting to get something on the cheap .

Re: Black Friday
 

There is nothing material that I want so much that I would get into a scrum to get it.
I wonder if the people concerned could see that they had lost something worth more than money by getting into such scraps....their dignity and integrity....but then maybe those concepts are alien to them.

Re: Black Friday
 

That fer my money, as i said many many times is the society created by You know who, imho.

Re: Black Friday
 

Are your children/grandchildren like this Cashy?
I am sure they aren't......I know mine aren't.
Some parents are not fit to rear budgies, never mind children......and those are the ones who encourage this kind of behaviour.

Re: Black Friday
 

Agree, but were have many of these originated? I'm damn sure i know.;)

Re: Black Friday
 

Well, I think a lot of it has to do with family values. Not just a single parent.......this is not to say that there are not some very capable single parents out there.......but children having children is always going to be a recipe for disaster.

Re: Black Friday
 

I wouldn't waste my time queuing for a sale and risking getting crushed in the rush to bag a cheap item, if I need something I will go when the shop is not so busy and browse about a bit before I make a decision.
Saying all that I was looking at BT's infinity broadband sale on line today and thought I'd ring and plead the old pensioner and long term customer spiel.
I finished up ordering infinity 2 and keeping the unlimited downloads and evening and weekend calls I have now. I also a have BT vision box which is still included in the new deal. I get Sport 1 and 2 and something called ESNP thrown in.
So I upgraded to infinity and got it all for £0.85p less then I am paying now for normal broadband. Free delivery and set up by an engineer next week.

Total job lot just under £19 a month and I pay the rental yearly.
It's a 18 month contract and as I've been with BT since 1971 I doubt I will be changing.

All from the comfort of my settee.

Re: Black Friday
 

That is the (sensible) way to do it.

Re: Black Friday
 

After adopting the 'Black Friday' tradition from across the pond, we now need to prepare our country for some more activities that made America great.

Waterboarding, Sleep Deprivation, Solitary Confinement........

God Bless America

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And you don't think this happens already?
It has happened in training in the past, no reason to doubt that it still happens.

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Blair was complicit allowing rendition flights to refuel at Prestwick on the way to "black ops sites" in countries that were happy to use these methods of "err" interrogation way back then hyndburner

Re: Black Friday
 

Nah - it's just human nature. Collectively, we're a selfish species. Sure there are kind individuals out there, and I reckon none of those people who were televised would push a granny over to get to a TV if it were just the two of them trying to get to the last TV in the shop. For some reason, humans get stupid(er) when there are a lot of them in the same place.

So your hard earned cash is going out of the country, and isn't having any tax paid on it. Well done.

I try to only buy tangible stuff online when when it's something that just can't be bought here (like a replacement petrol tank for my car. You'd think Ford UK would carry spares for cars that were built this century, but noooo...

I know money is scarce, so people need to make savings wherever possible. However, buying from companies that a) stifle competition and b) don't pay their dues is just compounding the problem. The town centre shops close, you get more people needing handouts so that "discount" results in an increased tax bill.

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It's the tax laws at fault not the companies. No company is going to pay more tax than they need to or their accountants won't have a job for long.

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Agreed. Nobody wants to pay more tax than they can get away with, even individuals. Nobody wants to pay more for a product if there's a cheaper alternative. All I'm saying is that there are less-visible consequences of buying online and/or buying from tax evaders.

Re: Black Friday
 

I agree there are and the government should close those loopholes. They won't though because they know many of those companies will just move abroad completely and still ship goods here because the EU common market lets them. They will choose the Country where they will pay the least tax and set up shop there. Europe will never work until taxation/benefits etc is the same in every Country. By benefits I don't just mean handouts but services as well like healthcare, cost and quality of public transport, cost of goods, wages etc

Re: Black Friday
 

its a pitty amazon dont sell diesil and petrol although i must admit the prices have dropped a little but it wont be long before someone decides the economy needs a tweak so they will restrict the flow of oil and prices will rise again

Re: Black Friday
 

I listened to a BBC world service programme a few days ago about oil prices.
It seems that the saudis deliberately reduce the price of their oil in order to make fracking not worth doing. Fracking and other new ways of fossil fuel extraction are far more expensive to operate than conventional oil drilling. If the oil price is low enough, investment in fracking becomes unattractive and is discouraged. However this manipulation of the price by the main producer will likely last a few years only if past experience is anything to go by.

Re: Black Friday
 

Wow....some major Luddite views there. Do you still go out on Harwood Moor, shear your sheep and weave your own woolen clothes on your handmade loom? My guess is your money has gone out of the country on your computer, your clothing, your camera, your car, your phone, your satnav, your dashboard camera..etc..etc..

Oh but wait..you've paid your taxes on these items (are you so sure of this? just because Amazon hit the headlines doesn't mean that the companies you bought your products from are not doing the same), you must feel so superior....well I've paid tax too, to the government and to the council. If a company is exploiting tax loopholes on their PROFITS...it's down to someone much cleverer than me to sort it out, thats what my taxes are supposed to pay for, airtight legislation, as opposed to MP's duck hides, furnishing for rented housing and other assorted goodie bag perks.

And by the way, who pays the wages of the guys in the chain from packing to delivery and which government gets the taxes on their wages? My purchase has also helped to keep people in this country in ACTUAL jobs!

Town centre shops were closing long before the advent of Amazon. The simple home freezer started the demise, people didn't need to shop for fresh foods as often, less browsing and impulse buys, supermarkets offering one stop shopping became the norm, successive councils screwed up etc..etc..

Do not lay the blame of people needing food banks/benefits on me with such ill thought out sanctimonious drivel

Re: Black Friday
 

The very first line of the first post on this thread endorses what Studio25 is saying Mr G.


You got the better of "the muppets" as you call them and wanted a pat on the back from the www. No caring, no sharing.

Re: Black Friday
 

Nope, wasn't looking for any plaudits.

I was simply pointing out that it was easier, more dignified and cheaper to click my mouse a few times for something that I actually wanted than it was to queue up for hours and get involved in the madness that ensued for something I didn't need just because it was cheap.

But in one respect you are right...I don't really care about the idiots who pushed, bullied and ripped products from each other, and since these 'muppets' don't really have any brain cells, it's unlikely that they would be mentally capable of reading this forum so I guess I'm not sharing the fact that it's easier and cheaper to click a mouse

Re: Black Friday
 

i think thats a similar reason as to why my pal got an internet bride rather than going into town on a saturday night looking for one :D

Re: Black Friday
 

I don't mention food banks or benefits at all. I respectfully suggest that your own prejudices have sneaked into your head while reading my post.

Re: Black Friday
 

And there's that sanctimony again...I 'respectfully' suggest you look up the word 'intimation'

Unless of course you are talking about the 'handouts' posted through your letterbox by the <insert any political group here> party, attempting to exonerate themselves from the current economical concerns