BLACK FRIDAY……

[jimmy bParticipant @jimmyb]

I see the black Friday nonsense has well and truly got underway.

 

For the first time I’ve noticed model engineer suppliers altering their prices. One notably putting up the price by 20% so it can be reduced by 20%.

Madness. I’ll not name them as I really can’t be bothered with the hassle it would no doubt cause….

 

Jimb

 

 

 

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Not my cup of tea either!  Sleeping on the pavement to be first in when a shop opens it’s doors seems bonkers to me, but then I’ve have enough dosh to avoid such humiliations.

Black Friday is just another sales gimmick in a long, long line of historic sales gimmicks.  It clearly boosts sales, otherwise sellers wouldn’t do it.   Buyer beware!  As there are no rules Black Friday offers will be a mixture of genuine bargains and sleight of hand!

I don’t think Black Friday is any worse than the commercialisation of Mothering Sunday, Halloween, Easter and Christmas.  Father’s Day is a complete fake.   Stuck in traffic yesterday I listened to a piece on Radio 2 about giving dogs Christmas presents.   Big business apparently, with a huge increase this year.   Though Xmas presents for dogs is clearly rubbish, the good news is it energises the economy…

Dave

 

 

[PlasmaParticipant @plasma]

There was a piece on radio 4 about black Friday sales. The majority are sleight of hand so there are no bona fide savings. The contributors actually said if you are not desperate for an item, wait six months and it will be cheaper than the black Friday offers.

As previously said, another American import that we have fallen for.

It’s thanksgiving over there now, it’s a wonder we haven’t adopted it and started stuffing ourselves with turkey a month before our favourite turkey based commestibles.

 

[SillyOldDuffer]

On SillyOldDuffer Said:

Though Xmas presents for dogs is clearly rubbish, the good news is it energises the economy…

Dave

 

 

Hi Dave, I don’t have any pets, as they don’t appeal to me, however, dogs and cats bring a lot of joy and love to many people, and they are often considered to be part of the family, so giving them presents is away of showing affection, and probably makes their owners feel closer to them, especially those that live alone. So I don’t think it’s rubbish at all, although it is a commercial success, and you could easily offend people by saying such things.

Regards Nick.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Bah Humbug

Though mine are usually happier with the paper and packaging from other peoples presents

People buy their pets toys like balls etc all year round so why not just put a bit of paper around it at chrismas.

[Mike HurleyParticipant @mikehurley60381]

Went into my local ‘Pets at Home’ store a few days ago to buy a few tubes of a food supplement for my elderly dog.

Black Friday Bonanza! ‘4 tubes for the price of 3’. Wow – what a bargain! Only when I looked carefully did I notice the price per tube had gone up from £2.95 to £3.25 each.

Do they (and all other retailers) think we are stupid? (answer – probably YES)

 

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Also don’t expect to find a 20% Black Friday deal on previously reduced prices, more than likely it will be on the usual selling price.

Though with the small markup on bigger items like machines 20% off those is likely to be selling at a fair loss.

[VicParticipant @vic]

As I posted in another thread, I got 30% off on a bottle of booze the other day. To further improve the (real) discount they sent a 1 Litre bottle instead of the 70cl ordered! I also bought some winter boots on discount for £29.99. They arrived this morning and were too small so I’ve returned them. The next size up which I ordered to replace them were £27.99 this morning, result! So yes, some places may inflate the price before discount but that’s down to the buyer to check.

[Grindstone CowboyParticipant @grindstonecowboy]

But is it any different to the Boxing Day sales we used to have fifty or sixty years ago, with people camping out on pavements outside large London stores? Do they still have Boxing Day sales? The only time I got slightly involved in one was back in the 1980s when I went early to try and bag a Black & Decker Workmate at the new B&Q store on the other side of town – however, they had all gone by the time I got there.

Rob

[Nicholas Farr]

On Nicholas Farr Said:

On SillyOldDuffer Said:

Though Xmas presents for dogs is clearly rubbish, the good news is it energises the economy…

Dave

 

 

Hi Dave, I don’t have any pets, as they don’t appeal to me, however, dogs and cats bring a lot of joy and love to many people, and they are often considered to be part of the family, so giving them presents is away of showing affection, and probably makes their owners feel closer to them, especially those that live alone. So I don’t think it’s rubbish at all, although it is a commercial success, and you could easily offend people by saying such things.

Regards Nick.

Might offend some, Nick, but maybe it needs to be said.   I don’t have a problem with people showering their pets with presents all year round if that makes them happy. No argument, we all agree pets are good for people.

I do see a problem with giving animals Christmas presents though.  Christmas is a major religious festival and animals have no part in the symbolism or cultural context.  And unlike humans, pets cannot understand the event; they can only be outsiders, and inviting them in undermines the religious aspect.

Don’t see dogs being given Christmas presents as heresy myself, but I can see why doing so offends those who take their faith seriously.  If Nick doesn’t see that, then he too causes offence.  A risk he certainly wouldn’t take if the offended party belonged to one of the more intolerant fundamentalist faith groups in the world.

The commercial element rubs salt in the wound.   No harm in anyone giving pets a present in private whilst they celebrate the Saviour’s birth.  But deliberately making doggy chews part of Christmas is a step too far for me.

Though I explain the objection, keep in mind I’m a cat-owning Church of England atheist…

🙂

Dave

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Christmas is a major religious festival and animals have no part in the symbolism or cultural context

The Donkey usually has quite a big part in Christmas activities😂

But no more posts about religion please.

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi Dave (SOD), I don’t agree with your Philosophy, and I know plenty of people who give their pets Christmas presents, many which have a faith and many that don’t. so I think it’s best to agree that we disagree on this subject, and leave it at that.

Regards Nick.

[Mark RandParticipant @markrand96270]

My kids asked for a kitten for Christmas.

I normally do turkey, but I’m willing to give it a go… 😀

[jaCK HobsonParticipant @jackhobson50760]

i have had amazing deals from Axminster and Warco and others in past years. I like the gimmick.

I didn’t find anything this year. Maybe the gimmick is getting tired.

[Mike Hurley]

On Mike Hurley Said:

Went into my local ‘Pets at Home’ store a few days ago to buy a few tubes of a food supplement for my elderly dog.

Black Friday Bonanza! ‘4 tubes for the price of 3’. Wow – what a bargain! Only when I looked carefully did I notice the price per tube had gone up from £2.95 to £3.25 each.

Do they (and all other retailers) think we are stupid? (answer – probably YES)

 

Mike,

just to point out that we here at Amadeal Ltd. have never had a sale or Black Friday Deal and don’t plan to do so.      Customers should be treated like gold-dust and with the utmost respect and we endeavour to do so.                          So not ‘all other retailers’ as you suggest.

regards, Hugh                                                                                                                 Amadeal Ltd

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