wasting money

No one has ever saved money by spending money. There is an economic downturn going on right now and people are not making the right decisions on what they should spend their money on and what they should not. People on black Friday are wasting their money buying new TV’s and such instead of stocking up on things they actually need.

VIDEO: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/11/20/1163454/-Walmart-does-damage-control-as-Black-Friday-protests-approach

"Black Friday: The Dark Side of Humanity." Consumerism Comm. 12 Dec. 2012 http://www.consumerismcommentary.com/black-friday-the-dark-side-of-humanity/.

 

"Daily Kos." : Walmart does damage control as Black Friday protests approach. 12 Dec. 2012 <http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/11/20/1163454/-Walmart-does-damage-control-as-Black-Friday-protests-approach>.

employers

Retailers are trying harder and harder every year to pay for their employees equally. It is getting very hard because since the economy is going down and getting worse, people need more jobs but employers do not have the money to pay for them. Black Friday is especially affected by this because they need a lot more people to work for more hours to control everything and make it go smoothly.

"Black Friday: Americans Can Enjoy Low, Low Prices Without Suffering Slave Wages." Alternet. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2012.

Rise in shoppers

Store shoppers exceeded everyone’s expectations even though our economy isn’t very good right now. Although it showed that people are very willing to spend money, it does not show whether or not this will make the economy better, worse or stay the same. Most people made purchases they did not plan to buy because they were “dirt cheap”. The NRF still predicts that the holiday sales will be down from last year.

"Black Friday Effect: Weekend Sees Rise in Shoppers - USATODAY.com." Black Friday Effect: Weekend Sees Rise in Shoppers - USATODAY.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2012.

Retail sales

Black Friday retail sales were “improved” as told by most analysts, even though the spending amount wasn’t very encouraging. Online shopping during the weekend has gone up, which shows that there is a trend that will continue to increase. The regional fed banks have shown mostly good reports, with the index improving and is now only slightly negative. Below is a chart of 3 day averages of spending which people self-reported.

"Post-Thanksgiving Economic Review." Minyanville. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2012.

Our economy

The two most important things to citizens right now are jobs and the economy. We are not looking at how the elections could affect our economy since they are over but how our spending could increase our economic numbers. If our spending this black Friday was a sign, then our economy must being doing better since consumer spending rose 9.2% over the last year. Nearly 25% of people also made a purchase of some kind online on cyber Monday.

"What Does Black Friday Weekend Say About Our Economy? « CBS Denver." CBS Denver. 11 Dec. 2012 http://denver.cbslocal.com/2012/11/25/what-does-black-friday-weekend-say-about-our-economy/.

 

Negatives

Some economists are saying that black Friday is just a trap to get consumers to buy products they really don’t need and this could cause consumers very large problems such as larger debt or even bankruptcy. Revolving credit has also led to a drop in production of consumer goods and lowering of retail sales data. Below is a graph showing the decline of consumers economic well being.

"Charting The Demise Of The US Consumer." ZeroHedge. 11 Dec. 2012 <http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2012-11-19/charting-demise-us-consumer>.

Stock market and black friday

The stock market is up more than 60% since March and black Friday pushed it up even more. "This year Black Friday (and holiday) sales will have a little extra meaning," says Timothy Vick, a portfolio manager at Sanibel Captiva Trust. "Investors are looking at the Christmas shopping season as the first barometer to see if the consumer is patching up" their finances. Black Friday is one of the most important year end events for the economy.

Your guide to the best deals 

"Stock watchers keep eye on Black Friday store sales - USATODAY.com." Stock watchers keep eye on Black Friday store sales - USATODAY.com. 11 Dec. 2012 http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/markets/2009-11-23-black-friday-markets_N.htm?csp=34.