T’was the day after Thanksgiving and all through the mall
Shopkeepers and sales staff had prepared for it all
They’d hung their over-sized sale signs and filled all their racks
“Shoppers start your engines,” they suggested, “not a moment to relax.”
Windows were a sea of red posters, red tags, and red decorations too
Promoting not the color of Christmas but the more common sale hue
Advertisers had stuffed local newspapers with flyers and FSIs
Featuring deep discounts, limited quantities, and other special buys
E-tailers stuffed my in-box full of promotional emails
Every subject line was announcing a deal or a sale
The signs of sales desperation were everywhere I looked
Even TV ads eschewed entertainment and went straight for the sales hook
Instead of enjoying shopping and having some holiday fun
Finding the best price seemed to be job number one
Looking for good gifts and their trimmings lost its appeal
Since I wasn’t sure each offer I would find was the absolute best deal
I got tired just thinking about shopping before I headed out the door
All the talk about prices made it seem like a chore
And so I decided to pass on Black Friday and just stay home
In feeling overwhelmed I’m guessing I wasn’t alone.
(the image above is a partial view of all of the FSIs from my local Thanksgiving day newspaper — the stack was almost 2 inches piled high)
Denise,
LOL. This is great. I think you captured the heart of the problem: The fun, the relaxation and the randomness of Christmas shopping has been replaced with a desperate dash for discounts. I’m inspired to get back to basics this Holiday Season. Thanks.
Denise,
Great little ditty and great originality. I notice the e tail intensity increasing. While they have growth on their side, I observe a strong similarity to the old brick and mortar retail approach to customers.
Consumers want to enjoy the gift giving time of year, and situations are shifting possibly never to return. Your idea of returning to what excites consumers is hopefully picked up by more decision makers. Much appreciated.
I love it, Denise!
The creativity and emotion mixed together are great.
Funny thing about Black Friday – I actually went out to a mall with my wife (first time since being in BSchool). My wife thought it was funny and remarkable how I was most excited by the fact that the mall was busy. “Lots of people means lots of shopping (hopefully), which helps the economy!” She has been really proud of my transformation through school.
Thanks for playing a part in that.
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