#BlackFriday? Count me out!

Picture: Will Oliver/EPA

Picture: Will Oliver/EPA

Published Nov 25, 2016

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Yasmine Jacobs explains her top five reasons why #BlackFriday can suck it.

If you ventured out to the shops today, you probably encountered hordes of people trying to snap up a #BlackFriday bargain.

There are many reasons why I don't like #BlackFriday, but here are my top five...

‘Cash or card?’

I am broke. I am broke at the end of the month. I am broke in the middle of the month. Do you honestly think my broke behind has the patience to wait in a queue, only to get to the end of the line and see hard-earned money getting exchanged for ridiculously cheap items that I probably don’t really need?

‘Get everything 50% off! Today only!’

Everything is 50% off, right? Everyone wakes up at the Hour of the Dead to buy whatever they think they need and want. At the time, 50% off sounds like a delight, until you realise that the heavily slashed item is not what you wanted in the first place. But we feel obligated to buy it, because it is cheap.

‘Are you sure that is your size?’

There are a few things that bring out the true colours of people and I honestly think #BlackFriday is one of those. Passive-aggressiveness, “accidental” or clearly deliberate shoves are all too real, as people try to get the items that they have been wanting “all year”. Don't expect politeness on #BlackFriday.

‘It's not our holiday but it's cheap!’

Remind me why are we celebrating a holiday that is not South African? Thanksgiving is not South African. #BlackFriday is not South African. I have nothing against sales, but can we please stop adopting American ways? I beg you.

‘I was in front of you’

Queues are awful. Queues are worth mentioning twice. But then again, I am a very impatient person. What is the appeal of standing in a queue? Ten to one, there is a child kicking up a tantrum behind you and a PDA couple in front of you.

So, to sum up: I have nothing against sales. I have nothing against cheap items. But can we still be nice to each other?

By all means, go ahead and spoil yourself, but don't overdo it to the point where you realise that you need to rely on your Christmas bonus to get through November. Because December is on its way and you don’t want it to become a Black December, do you?

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