Matt Suoja: Black Friday is for us suckers

• Matt Suoja

Matt Suoja

Talk about it

Last Friday, the craziness of Best Buy got me thinking about whether or not it’s worth it to even take part in Black Friday anymore.

I wonder where all these people are getting the money to buy all this stuff when the economy is so bad. The truth of the matter is many people are using credit cards, maybe even taking out a loan to buy items.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national unemployment rate for October was 10.2 percent. In Minnesota, it is far lower than the national average at 6.9 percent.

Even if that is the case, people should be wary of spending a lot of money on Christmas items.

If places like Best Buy were packed – I had never seen it that busy in there on a Black Friday before – it didn’t necessarily mean they were making more money than a year before.

According to MarketWatch.com, retailers did draw bigger crowds this year compared to last, but the average consumer spent about $340 compared to about $370 from the year before.

Maybe consumers were having second thoughts when they went to the various sales. I know I did. I was relatively close to buying a nice laptop computer for about $400, which I thought was a pretty good deal.

Then I began thinking about whether or not I actually needed the item. That is one thing that a lot of consumers don’t do. It seems like America has this “buy, buy, buy” attitude without necessarily thinking about the consequences.

Why else would stores be packed when the nation is clearly in a recession?

We all fall victim to this. I have questioned purchases such as buying a bunch of DVDs at a relatively low price and never watching them. I still have some in the packages from last year.

Maybe it could be Black Friday all the time if America simply demanded cheaper goods. I find it hard to believe that computers could not be sold for a cheaper price than they are. Just look at the Forbes list and you will see a who’s who of people who made millions, if not billions, by selling computers or the software for them. Black Friday is helping fill these pockets.

Black Friday to me means a day when corporations make consumers think they are getting a “good price” on something they may not necessarily need.

What did I buy on Black Friday?

A $50 box of football cards.

Yes, I too was fooled into buying something I don’t need. It’s pretty hard not to be.

Matt is a reporter for the Lake County News-Chronicle. E-mails can be sent to msuoja@lcnewschronicle.com. Call him at 834-2141.

Tags: two harbors, opinion, matt suoja