I used to be so excited about Black Friday and used to wait for the entire year just for the day to get good deals. 5-to 6 Years ago Black Friday deal meant you were getting most of your desired at a cheaper rate, a huge discount. Right now especially after Covid 19, it's all about business. There is nothing called Black Friday, especially in some countries. It's just a commercial way to attract people and some fools like me fall for it... I also noticed huge changes in Black Friday after the pandemic when I was in Ukraine. There was no sale, in fact, most of the shops used to increase the price before black Friday and give 20-30% discount, so they were still making a profit at that time. Yesterday was Black Friday in the Netherlands and today I am gonna share my experience with you of Black Friday in Almere city.
Black Friday mostly comes after Thanks Giving and I guess it started in the United States to officially start Holiday season shopping. I think in the USA, people still get good deals, and branded products at cheap prices which normally middle-class people cannot afford to buy. Even before Covid, I used to save money to buy my desired products on Black Friday especially furniture, kitchen appliances, and electronics. Anyway, a week before Black Friday, I saw many shops promoting themselves by giving 30-70% discounts during Black Friday or getting Black Friday deals. Let me tell you one thing, the Netherlands is very expensive when it comes to buying electronics and clothing. Except for some local shops, you cannot buy good material clothes often and the electronic products price is too high on regular days. For example, I was checking Samsung Mobile phone prices and it's really very expensive if you want to buy a brand new phone. It doesn't matter if you buy it on credit or not, it's expensive.
Anyway, after seeing advertisements of different brands and shops, I thought why not I go out and see what kind of deals and discounts shops were offering? I also thought, if I get something nice cheaper, I will buy it. I had a doctor's appointment in the morning so while I was on my way to the appointment, I already saw the crowd of Black Friday at City Center Almere. People were holding a lot of shopping bags and seeing that, my expectations had become high. :D
It's November and days are short here, evenings come early and nights are long. So, just before the evening, I went to the city center to take a look at what was going on. The small walkways or alleys looked beautiful, it felt like the Holiday season already started. Bright lights were everywhere; normal days don't look like this.
So, I started looking around; and then I started checking different shops and their offers for Black Friday. Clothing stores were giving 20-30% discounts and to my surprise, I figured out that all summer clothes were on sale. Basically, after summer, normally big sales happen in the Netherlands, and what I saw is that the same kind of clothes that were not sold on summer sale, they are trying to get rid of on Black Friday during winter. Okay, a compromise can happen, you can buy summer clothes in winter at a cheaper rate but unfortunately, the price was the same (which was in summer) after the discount. So basically, they increased the price before Black Friday and then gave the discount. The person who doesn't know the actual price would think they are getting a discount.
Basically, first, most of the shops increased their price of the products and then have given discounts to attract people to shop. The only genuine discount I saw only on perfumes, cosmetics, items of furniture, and some very specific electronic products.
Every year I used to buy something for my dog, so I thought I should check some pet products.
I went to Tk Max shop and directly went to their pet section. They have a really good collection of toys and clothes for pets, very unique and cute. You can gift fancy things to your pets. I wanted a nice sweater and jacket for my dog Gigi but unfortunately, Gigi is so big and nothing fits her. All of the clothes were for small and medium dogs. And because Gigi is now fat and big, XL size doesn't fit her. So, unfortunately, I couldn't buy anything for her. Well, she has a lot of toys and that's why I didn't buy any new toys for her. Maybe later I will buy something useful for her. I really liked that red jacket though for my dog but yes, the size was not available.
I went to perfume shops and showed myself with tester perfumes. It might sound cheap attitude but I did it for fun. I don't do such things normally but yesterday while being in the shops, I felt I should shower with expensive perfumes because I could not buy them even though they were at a 30% discount.
Many people bought many things, I was one of those who didn't buy anything and came home with an empty hand. Basically, I didn't find anything that was worth buying and others were shopping for Christmas. Nowadays, attractive deals don't attract me anymore...
That's all for today...
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Priyan...
I am @priyanarc.... An architect, a dreamer, and a passionate writer who loves to write about life. I try to present my own perspective and experiences. Please leave your feedback and criticism because it's the only way I can know and reach your mind and thoughts easily...
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I made a commitment not to buy anything this year unless I fiund a duscount in something that I had to purchase anyway (my filming camera needs replacement and my hiking boots broke) it us tempting but circumstances have made me a more frugal person when expending. Next month is my bday and xmas so giving it a thought yo treat myself with something but gotta be useful or needed
You took the right decision because sometimes we end up buying so many unnecessary things and later we regret. I often try to find good deals when it comes to buying necessary and essential products. I have been living on budget and I am kinda enjoying this change. Happy Birthday sis in advance. Treating yourself and pampering yourself would be the best idea to celebrate Xmas and birthday together. I sometimes go out to give myself treat and it helps to boost my mood...
This is a good place to visit, It's fascinating to see how your Black Friday experience has changed over the years, shifting from genuine excitement for deals to a more commercialized vibe. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, I still see the excitement but for me, it changed over time a lot. My biggest plus point (I guess) I observe everything. I used to be a shopaholic once but now, not anymore...
Ohhh! That's great one, and well it's bound to happen because we do different things everyday and they change things
It is the same unfair commercial practice, it is sadly common in my country, on sales Friday all the prices were increased a lot, and then they added the discount, in the end they want to sell more expensive than on normal sales days.
I didn't think that practice was allowed in other countries, it shouldn't be legal.
At least he was able to walk around the store and make the day entertaining.
Take care of yourself.
Exactly and unfortunately many people don't know about it. Attractive deals don't mean you have to buy them, if an individual does some research, they will actually see the differences. Unfortunately, Black Friday is a commercial business to makes more money than usual.
Thank you so much for reading my post, Have a good weekend...
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Nice experience!
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