They labor under the mistaken idea that Black Friday is a money making proposition for mega-stores like Wal Mart and Target.
They lose money on Black Friday!
The less they sell on Black Friday the more $$ they will take in during the holiday season...they have no real competitors in the marketplace.
They have to compete in the circus that is Black Friday to stay ‘in the game’ .... but they don’t enjoy it.
Every shopper that stays home for a Black Friday boycott puts money in the large retailer’s pockets.
The only way to hurt the big retailers is to convince a large number of people to not spend at all or to greatly reduce spending during the holidays...that is not likely.
“The only way to hurt the big retailers is to convince a large number of people to not spend at all or to greatly reduce spending during the holidays...that is not likely.”
In this economy I think that will occur naturally; working people with families are getting crushed paying their normal operating bills (groceries, rent/mortgage, etc.). Between online shopping (which saves a lot of money, and prevents the shopper from dealing with menaces at the mall) and gift cards (which while sold upfront, can be redeemed much later), I think brick-and-mortar stores have had slimmer returns on the holidays for years now.
The last few times I’ve been to malls (over the space of years - I rarely go), I was surprised by 1) how many foreigners are milling about, compared to a dearth of “Anglos”, and 2) how few of the people there had any purchases in their hands (as though they were simply window-shopping). Nowadays malls are a display case, where you see what you need, then order it online at a lower price from somewhere else...