Black Friday? Who cares!

I don't get why people go crazy on the day after Thanksgiving. Yeah, I know that they can get some good deals IF they go early enough. But is it worth it? I can't see it. The price of a particular item must include the time & effort that you put into it not just the purchase price. From where I am sitting I don't see some people placing much value on their time. My goodness, I heard that there were people camped out, forming lines on Wednesday night for Black Friday sales. That means not only did they skip Thanksgiving, only one of the most important family holidays, but they gave in the neighborhood of 2 days to having a chance of saving what amounts to pennies when you factor in their time-if they saved anything at all.
Oh, you say its the thrill of finding a bargain? Consider this, you could bargain hunt once a month for the other 11 months of the year & have all of your Christmas shopping done before Black Friday EVERY year & never have to fight the crowds to save a few pennies not to mention having a stress free holiday where you don't have to blow your budget in one day.
So I guess by now you have figured out I'm not much into shopping. In fact, years ago I devised ways of getting my Christmas shopping done early or from home. I have 14 Nieces & Nephews & my siblings have always bought for each others kids. With that many it can get pretty pricey not to mention that you don't want to get them what they already have, what they don't even want or what doesn't even fit so I get them all coin proof sets. Some of them have over 20 proof sets. One year my husband told me he thought only a couple of the kids welcomed the coins so I asked them. Every single one of them said they loved them. Responses ranged from they love looking at the coins to this is the only gift I still have from Christmas' past & when I look at them it always brings back good memories. One of my nephews, Nathan, has even become a coin collector & the proof sets are only a small part of his collection. His Dad said the sets gave Nathan an appreciation for money & he has become a saver.
Coin sets are good for adults for the same reason. They last, never go out of style, hold their value & are perfect for the person who has everything. Stamps are kind of the same but not really. You have to have some luck & skill to choose the right ones but if the Post Office eventually dies, stamps could become much more valuable.
So next time you are trying to decide whether to get someone some perfume, cologne, a scarf or gloves or a tie, remember that they probably have enough of those things & likely prefer to pick their own. Get them something they can actually sell if they don't want it or save a pass on to someone they love.
Oh my gosh! I just read that someone actually got stampeded at Walmart & died. Now it really is BLACK Friday. How sad is that! Only 34 years old & the people that killed him didn't even stop to lend assistance or even be concerned, too intent on getting their bargains. I shall never be a member of the Black Friday brigade!