Maybe they should call it ‘Gray Friday’

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    I’ve never been a big fan of Black Friday. I’ve only been to a few super sales on the day after Thanksgiving, and that was at 6 a.m. I bought a DVD player and flat-screen TV at a department store about 10 years ago. I was in and out of the place in less than a half-hour before hordes of shoppers flocked to the aisles. The TV is still working, but the DVD wound up in a yard sale.

    Nowadays, retailers start advertising pre-Black Friday sales right after Halloween.
    I don’t know about you, but I’m not in a Christmas shopping mood until Thanksgiving. That’s when I usually test the outdoor lights between football games and update the Christmas card list.
    So what’s up with the big rush to grab consumer dollars? I’m guessing that big box stores are nervous about family budgets this year. No one knows what fuel oil and gasoline prices are going to be three days from now, much less 30 days.
    So if a home improvement store ad grabs your attention during the first or second week of November, they assume that’s where you’ll buy a present for Uncle Herbie.
    Maybe they should call it the “Gray Friday” sale.
    We live 42 miles from Bangor. So unless we have a lengthy shopping list or can’t find a particular item locally, we pretty much stick close to home.
    Do the math. My SUV gets 22 miles per gallon. Gas last week ranged from $3.31 to $3.39 per gallon. So it costs me almost $13 for a round trip to Bangor before I buy anything. In addition, my wife and I will probably eat out. Add another $30 to the tab.
    So with very few exceptions, I’ll be shopping locally again. I’m not only going to save time and money, but I don’t have to drive very far after dark. I almost whacked Bambi’s family en route to Skowhegan last week and that was only at 4:30 p.m.
    I already bought a Christmas present for my wife at a store very close to home. I figure that the popular sizes would be gone by Black Friday, even if it was $4 or $5 less. Now she’s probably wondering where I hid it.
    I don’t even have to leave home to get a Christmas present for our oldest daughter and son-in-law. We buy them a Maine State Park Pass online. For $70 a year, you can bring a carload of people into most state parks right through the summer.
    The youngest daughter and her son in California like anything related to Maine which includes loon or moose calendars, Bar Harbor canned lobster stew and gift packs of Raye’s mustard. I can also find these within a 20-minute drive.
    Our son — the short-order cook, carpenter, warehouse worker and rock musician — likes gift cards. Talk about being easy to buy for.
    So I’ll pass on Off-White Friday, Gray Friday or Black Friday this year.
    I’ll spend my money closer to home, which should make everyone happy – including Bambi’s family.
    Mike Lange is a staff writer with the Piscataquis Observer. His opinions are his own and don’t necessarily reflect those of this newspaper.