Friday, November 28, 2014

Be Green Challenge, Blog #3: Tammy Hsu



Today is probably the hardest day. Even though I usually do not like buying, I still want to check out Black Friday deals. There were some items I really want, such as a phone case for myself and some presents for my relatives, but I had to remind myself that I cannot buy them. As I was walking around, I saw people putting at least one television in their carts. This made me think: do people really need that many television in their house? Or is it that people cannot resist the good deals?


After I got home from Black Friday window shopping, I decided to find the origin of Black Friday. Based on the article by Amadeo, Black Friday used to have bad connotation. “Black” day is used to refer to bad days in history, such as the beginning of an economic depression. But as Black Friday becomes a common practice, “Black Friday” becomes a positive term (at least, for companies). Even though Black Friday brings profit for companies, there are some dark sides. For example, many fights break out during Black Friday because people want to fight or because people shoplift. In addition, I also find the idea of Black Friday weird. Before, Black Friday actually occurs on Friday. But for the past few years, Black Friday occurs on Thanksgiving. It seems Thanksgiving is becoming a profit day, rather than a day to give thanks.


In Mai Yamani’s reading, the author discusses how outfits can indicate one’s status. As I look back to Black Friday, I do notice that people have the tendency to go to branded stores. By having certain brands, people would be associated with certain social status. Black Friday seems to be the perfect day for people to go to branded store since it is also discounted; however, I feel like this is just one of the strategies that companies use to lure people. Even though they claim that they are having a big clearance sell, the material and labor cost for each branded item is still much lower than the price that is listed.


References:
Amadeo, Kimberly. "How Black Friday Got Its Name." About News. About.com, 2014. Web. 27 Nov. 2014.
Yamani, Maii. “Changing the Habits of a Lifetime: The Adaptation of Hejazi Dress to the New Social Order.”

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