25 Date in November this year when American consumers will shop, trample, and fight for Black Friday sales deals.
$70.49 billion Total amount of money US consumers spent on Black Friday in 2015.
23 Percent of Black Friday shoppers who camped out at a store (arriving at midnight or before).
7 Deaths directly related to Black Friday mobs from 2008-2014.
98 Shopping related injuries over the same time period, ranging from door buster tramplings to stabbings over parking spaces.
74.2 million Number of people who went shopping on Black Friday last year.
35 million Number of people who ceased family celebrations on Thanksgiving Day to go shopping.
$407.23 Average amount of money each shopper spent on Black Friday in 2013.
30 Percent of annual retail sales which occur between Black Friday and Christmas.
$805.65 How much the average American spends on gifts during the holiday shopping season.
750,000 Number of seasonal workers that retail stores will hire in preparation for the holiday shopping surge.
Nothing signals the beginning of the holiday excess quite like the hazardous “holiday” that is Black Friday.
The stack of sales flyers stuffed into your mailbox serves as a friendly reminder that we’re now just a few days away from this year’s edition.
I love a deal as much as the next guy, but there are times when the madness simply isn’t worth it. Your financial freedom, time with family, and your safety… these things are all far more priceless than some $299.99 discounted TV.
Better yet, we could all do our best to abstain from this holiday shopping madness altogether.
Shelling out tons of money for plastics, electronics, and marketing gimmicks could be replaced with something thoughtful, unique, or handmade, even if that’s just an agreement among friends and family to tone down the excessive holiday spending.
Most of this Black Friday junk will end up in landfills anyway. Here’s my idealistic vision: we all skip the holiday gift garbage, and instead prioritize the long forgotten aspects of the holidays: the spirit of the season and the people we love.
If passing on an expensive present lets us all step back from work and spend a little more time together, who can say that’s not what the holidays are really about?
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I completely agree. People lose their minds on Black Friday. The only reason I’m participating in the madness this year is that I’ve waited to buy stuff for my wedding until these sales. Luckily I’ll be buying online!
It’s just insane how much value people will place on “things”. However, on the other side of the spectrum of extreme and excessive shopping is it keeps people employed. Funny how the world goes ’round! Our addiction to buying things gives the same people jobs to create those things and sell them.
A beautiful loop, or just spinning of wheels? I’m not sure, but it’s fun to think about!
At our house Black Friday is Beach Friday. We have been keep this tradition alive since moving to Oregon five years back. We pack up the leftovers in ridiculous sandwich format, make a thermos of cocoa, round up the beloved dogs, and head for the coast, rain or shine. I was excited when REI started their #optoutside movement to spread the sentiment. Recharge, chat with loved ones, work off some turkey-related calories, and be thankful for our beautiful planet.
Sounds amazing, and really what the holidays should be about. Hope you had a Beach Friday this year!
I resolve to NEVER, EVER shop on a Black Friday. The thought of it makes me cringe. But then I loathe shopping anyway… LOL
Haha, same here Amanda.
I’ve been celebrating Buy Nothing Day (http://www.adbusters.org/bnd/) instead of Black Friday for about 20 years now. It’s a nice reminder to not get sucked into the rampant commercialism of our society.
Sounds awesome! The only Black Friday Sale guaranteed at 100% off!
It’s really sad to see injuries and deaths occur over the holidays. You’re are right, the whole experience to save some money is just not worth it. Just do it online! Save more time and beat the crowds.
I know. Last I saw around noon on Black Friday, two more people on the East Coast had died during the “holiday.” What a tragedy.
Great post Wizard! The fact that stuck out to me the most was that 30% of all retail sales occur in such a small window.
Do you plan on doing any other posts with facts in them?
That was pretty shocking to me too.
The response has been pretty positive, so I plan on keeping the Go Figure series and alive. I’ve got tons of awesome ideas lined up. Don’t forget to check out the Blog Archives for all the already published Go Figure pieces, along with every other post since the start of this site.
Hi Money Wizard,
I live in France and we don’t have such high interest as in the US, and no 401k retirement plans. I started saving money since 5 years now and have 20k in my “saving” account. it is not really a saving accoung since it is called a “PEL” a saving plan for young people who plan to buy a house after 10 years savings and it is the most attractive offer from french banks, with a 2.5% interest rate, which is still better than nothing but barely covers inflation. I tried to search for equivalence for placement like Vanguard fund or 401k but i don’t see any.
Do you have any suggestions for readers who do not live in the US on how to diversify our savings?
I hope my question will be helpful for your all your other international readers 🙂
Well I’m from North America, but live in Asia … and my wife is from here too… we save lots of money for investing via living with the parent in laws who help out with the chore, costs and child care ….. we also do rental real estate investing …. I write a little bit about it in my above link … how I became a multi-millionaire expat … anyway … I think you can also check out Vanguard’s America online portal etc and open an account … though you would need to check out taxes and fees etc ….. Michael CPO, from the far side of the planet …