Black Friday on The Huffington Post

Outrageous and Excessive Holiday Deals (PHOTOS)

2009-12-04T08:05:50Z

A big part of the enticement of holiday shopping is getting "deals." Here at HuffPost Green, we think that the frenzy around Black Friday and holiday shopping encourages a lot of wasteful consumerism.

People buy things they don't necessarily need or want, sometimes in obscene quantities because they think they're getting a deal...without taking into account the fact that this just encourages the making of unnecessary consumer products that are cheap, won't last, and will eventually get dumped.

Check out these photos of wasteful deals from Black Friday and beyond, and tell us which one is the most ridiculous of them all.

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Black Friday Shoppers Run Wild In Wal-Mart (VIDEO)

2009-12-02T09:16:46Z

Unlike 2008, when a Wal-Mart employee was trampled to death in Valley Stream, New York, there have been no reported deaths this year associated with Black Friday, the most popular shopping day of the year. Nevertheless, Black Friday 2009 was not a subdued affair.

One video posted on YouTube shows the extent of shopping madness induced by sale prices and media hype. It shows shoppers, releasing piercing screams at an undisclosed Wal-Mart while furiously clawing their way into the store and down the aisles, leaving some shoppers injured on the ground.

Watch the video below.

Lee Camp: WATCH: The Biggest Shopping Day Of The Year In One Minute

2009-12-01T00:18:55Z

Karen Dalton-Beninato: Postcard Perfect Holidays In A Prairie State

2009-11-30T14:00:32Z

Black Friday is behind us and holiday decorations are popping up, but the Midwestern snow is stubbornly holding off.

As radio and television ads become relentlessly holiday themed, retailers hope shoppers can help get them back in the black by New Year's Eve.

To help jump start the holiday spirit, these are my favorite 10 images four years after evacuating back to the heartland south of Chicago, east of Lincoln's home and north of a cornfield. You know the season is gearing up when:

Hiding in the leaves ...

Gives way to bundling up like a spare tire

Gingerbread houses are precariously constructed

Each evergreen looks like a Christmas Tree

Free Carriage Ride Day is Underway in the Town Square

Ice sickles dangle from awnings

The Lincoln family home in Springfield is decked out

Frost on the window looks like an impressionist painting

Peace sign decorations are up

And our Holiday Card is illustrated.

Happy holiday season to you and yours from me and mine.

Cyber Monday: Giving Online For The Holidays

2009-11-30T04:44:24Z

Though technically not the biggest online shopping day of the year, the Monday after Thanksgiving has come to be known as "Cyber Monday," a day when online retailers release a bevy of deals leading up to Christmas.

So, you could spend your down time at work today scouring the web for online deals, or you could follow our steps to giving online this season. Some retailers are offering some special ways to contribute along with purchases. Away we go:

•Your top bet for buying and giving is Good Shop, a site by GoodSearch.com which links to online coupons and gives up to 30% of each purchase you make to the organization or school of your choice. The donation money comes from commission paid by retailers to GoodSearch.com

•Animal-lovers can contribute to good through BringPetsHome.org, a site that's partnered with Amazon.com, Walmart, Macy's and others to donate a portion of online purchases to animal shelters.

•UncleVic.com is offering to donate $1 for every purchase made on the site through tonight as part of its Penny Pincher Promotion. Online shoppers can visit Uncle Vic's Facebook page to vote on which of six select nonprofit organizations should receive the donations.

•eBay's Giving Works encourages donating to nonprofits as part of the shopping experience, or partaking in a celebrity auction, proceeds of which go to specific causes. Through eBay, you can also shop by cause. So selecting "Ending Poverty" will bring up products that contribute specifically to organizations like Share Our Strength, Heifer and Feeding America.

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Black Friday Sales: U.S. Retailers Report Strong Crowds

2009-11-28T09:37:30Z

The nation's shoppers took advantage of deals on toys and TVs with some renewed vigor in stores and online on Black Friday after a year of concentrating their spending on basic necessities.

Though the first numbers won't be available until Saturday, early reports indicated bigger crowds than last year, with people buying more and even throwing in some items for themselves.

Early Reports On Black Friday Sales Show Signs Of Life

2009-11-27T23:03:59Z

Lapham's Quarterly: The Darkest Days: Black Friday, Saturday, Sunday, And The Rest

2009-11-27T18:21:00Z

Despite the popularity of Black Friday among retailers and the local news media, every day of the week has at some point or another been described as "black." In fact, an entire week can be cobbled together out of the darkness. For more dark days, visit www.laphamsquarterly.org. Our Deja Vu blog can be found here.

Black Sunday (1977)
1977 movie about a blimp pilot / Vietnam veteran driven mad by torture as a POW who uses his intricate knowledge of blimps to attempt to detonate a bomb at the Super Bowl. Much of the film was shot live at Super Bowl X, in which the Dallas Cowboys triumphed over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Black Monday (1987)
Describes the largest one-day decline in stock market history which occurred on Monday October 19 1987. Also ascribed to part of the Black Long Weekend of 1929 (see "Black Thursday" and "Black Tuesday")

Black Tuesday (1929, 2001)
The day the financial repercussions of 1929's Black Thursday set in, causing wide-spread panic when everyone attempted to pull out of the market at the same time. Also used to describe the events of September 11th, 2001.

Black Wednesday (1992)
Describes the situation in Britain on September 16, 1992 when the government was forced to withdraw the pound from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism due to currency speculators. The fiasco cost the UK Treasury an estimated 3.3 billion pounds.

Black Thursday (1929, 1993)
This was, of course, the day of the 1929 Stock Market Crash, but is it also used to describe a terrible Thursday in 1993 when Phillies player Pete Incavigila shouted obscenities at his fans and stormed out of an autograph session at the Granite Run Mall in Media, PA.

Black Friday (1869, 1929, present)
On September 24, 1869, during one of the great scandals of the Reconstruction era, two speculators sent the market into freefall by buying up government gold in a time the government was run primarily on credit. Black Friday is perhaps better known as, the day after Thanksgiving, on which the Christmas retail season pins most of its hopes. In the United Kingdom, it's the name given to the last Friday before Christmas when widespread alcohol abuse is expected to occur and police are given extra leniency to combat any disturbances of the peace. Also in Europe, this is used to refer to the "Black Thursday" 1929 crash because of the time difference.

Black Saturday (1621)
Saturdays are rarely ruinous. The only Black Saturday on record occurred when a particularly nasty storm raged over the skies of Scotland on August 4th, 1621. This was largely regarded as the judgment of God on recent acts passed by the Scottish Parliament concerning the Episcopal Church.

Scuffling Customers Close S. California Wal-Mart

2009-11-27T15:20:52Z

UPLAND, Calif. — Police say a Wal-Mart store in Southern California closed its doors for several hours before dawn after some Black Friday shoppers began fighting over bargain merchandise.

Lt. Jim Etchason says officers in Upland, about 40 miles east of Los Angeles, were called to the store at about 2:44 a.m. and helped herd customers into the parking lot.

Laine Ewen: Bucs vs. Falcons Preview: Buy Buc For Black Friday

2009-11-27T13:07:44Z

Thanksgiving Thursday is over, and now it's time to shop. For those of you who are out there this weekend taking advantage of the big sales and kicking our economy into gear, here are a few big ticket items you might consider buying in honor of this Sunday's Bucs game against the Atlanta Falcons.

NEW ITEM! Supersize Quarterback--Josh Freeman comes in at a giant 6'6" 248 pounds, but don't worry, he moves around well and has a knack for avoiding defenders.
Features: strong arm, fast feet, confidence, good decision-making ability
Downsides: rookie mistakes, prone to fumble-itis, only 50% effective in passing game
User Review: "This quarterback looks like he's going to be a great long-term purchase, but I've definitely had some troubles with him recently. Last year's Matt Ryan version looked great early, but hasn't been performing as well recently, so I think I'll stick with Josh Freeman!"

99% OFF! Pass Rush--Due to complaints, the Bucs' pass rush is going for 99% off--a steal deal! Plus, with Coach Raheem taking over the defense and a return to the Tampa-2, this group could be worth much more than asking price. And if not, well, you won't need to clean any opposing QB jerseys, because those things don't get touched! Buy now!
Features: ineffective tackling, embarrassing ability to be run over by offensive linemen
Downsides: too many to name
User Review: "I can't believe how terrible the pass rush has been. The only time this thing worked was against Aaron Rodgers, and lord knows he holds the ball forever. Matt Ryan should walk all over these guys--especially with Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez receiving. I hope Coach Rah can create a defensive strategy that works for the personnel the Bucs have, because otherwise this was a complete rip-off."

Deal of the Day: #22 for $22--For just $22 you too can own #22, Clifton "Peanut" Smith, the leader of the top-ranked kick return team in the NFL! Watch the little guy find holes and break tackles. Buy today, and we'll throw in place kicker Connor Barth for free!
Features: fearless, runs hard in the face of defenders, rarely calls for a fair catch
Downsides: can't help the offense or defense
User Review: "Man, this was a great purchase! I picked up Peanut for my wife because I thought she'd think he was cute, but I never expected just how useful he would be! This guy just makes plays and picks up yards every time he gets the ball. I can't believe opposing teams even kick to him! And Connor Barth makes those 50+ yard kicks like clockwork. This is a great deal! I would recommend it to all my friends!"

10% Discount on Damaged Goods: Michael Turner--Take advantage of this top-ranked rusher for the Atlanta Falcons while the price is right! Benched last week for a high-ankle sprain, Turner's been practicing this week, and his wonky ankle shouldn't be as much of a factor against the Tampa Bay run defense (or lack thereof)!
Features: season total 831 yards and 10 TDs
Downsides: sprained ankle
User Review: "I am very satisfied with Michael Turner. I wasn't sure he was going to work for me when I first bought him in September, but he really picked up steam and had been working great until he broke a couple of weeks ago. The ankle-repair service worked better than I thought it would, but I would definitely buy the product insurance (Jerious Norwood and Jason Snelling) to make sure the Atlanta run game can take advantage of the weak Tampa blockers."

3 for the price of 1: Antonio Bryant, Michael Clayton, and Maurice Stovall--Three wide receivers for the price of one? We must be crazy!! Well, no, actually, we're just being practical. Top receiver Bryant is banged up with chronic knee problems and some attitude issues, Michael "Not Clooney" Clayton can't hold on to the ball, and Maurice Stovall is... well, have you ever heard of Maurice Stovall? Didn't think so. (Sale price good only on Bryant, Clayton, and Stovall. Sammie Stroughter and Kellen Winslow sold separately.)
Features: faux-butter coating on hands, dual setting legs: slow and medium, "cranky public statement" pull-string on Bryant and Clayton models
Downsides: holding the ball through the catch, catching the ball with rookie QB throwing out of reach
User Review: "I got these receivers thinking that they would be pretty good, but I'm disappointed to say the least. Especially with Clayton--man, did I overpay for him! Hopefully they'll do a little better against the Atlanta's 28th-place defense, but I don't think I'll be keeping these guys past the end of the season."

Happy Black Friday weekend!

Cross-published at www.chicksinthehuddle.com.

Esther Wojcicki: Black Friday Report From Silicon Valley: Stores Jammed At 5 A.M.

2009-11-27T10:24:44Z

I consider myself an experienced Black Friday shopper, having gotten up at 4 am the day after Thanksgiving for years to shop the bargains. But I have never seen a Black Friday like the one today -- November 27, 2009.

There were more people lined up to get into Walmart in Mountain View, CA (Silicon Valley) than I could have ever imagined -- more than 1,000. They circled the building on both sides and in front. They were even there an hour after opening, because this year they limited the number of people in the store. People just kept on coming and coming.

All the other stores at San Antonio Shopping Center were jammed too---Kohl's, Sears, Target and others. Jammed at 5:05 am Amazing. I couldn't even find a parking place in a huge lot and the stores had just opened. Same crowded conditions at Stanford Shopping Center just three miles down the road with stores like Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Ann Taylor, Pottery Barn. I didn't even try Best Buy in Mountain View because there was a traffic jam getting into the lot.

So if there is a recession, maybe it is over judging by all the people who were there with money to spend. When I finally got into Target, people were running (yes, running) to get the 32" Westinghouse TV (gone by the time I found them) and the TomTom GPS (also gone). Hundreds of people with packed shopping carts were waiting in line.

I couldn't go home empty handed so I bought a nice fleece jacket at Target for only $15 (also on sale, but not yet discovered by the mobs) and some toys that were not on sale because the Leap Frog Frig Magnets were already sold out.

I should have guessed that something like this was afoot because on Thanksgiving night, I got an email at about 7 pm from friendly Walmart announcing more online bargains. By the time I went online to check two hours later, everything I wanted (electronics) was all sold out. Yep, gone and I had just gotten the email.

So, maybe this is the beginning of a good shopping season signaling an end to the recession. It is the first time I can remember being happy to see so many people in the stores at 5 am competing with me for the bargains.

YOWZA: Black Friday Coupons Instantly On Your iPhone Or Android (VIDEO)

2009-11-27T10:09:49Z

The Yowza website (www.getyowza.com) is suffering from server overload today, but for those looking for information about it, Yowza is offering plenty of Black Friday coupons for your mobile device.

Yowza announced on Twitter and also through a traditional press release that it had added coupons from dozens of retailers specific to Black Friday.

Both iPhone and Android devices can connect to Yowza, which allows you to search your geographic area for coupons, deals and discounts. When you find a coupon of interest, you simply show your phone to the cashier, who scans the barcode it provides.

Want to see it in action? In this video, Yowza explains its app in three simple steps:

Black Friday 2009: Will Consumers Show Up On Key Shopping Day?

2009-11-26T22:50:06Z

2008 had the worst holiday shopping season in decades--will this year be any different? Retailers are hoping deep price cuts, social media specials, and early sales leaks will lure consumers in as the holiday shopping season kicks off.

Analysts predict a heavy turn out despite the recession, in part because there's less competition (45 retailers have gone under since last year's shopping season) and in part because of the promise of big bargains. But with unemployment in double digits will people buy or browse? Market research firm IBISWorld predicts retail sales will rise 2.8 percent over this weekend to $42.9 billion, while others give much bleaker estimates saying retail sales may DIP 1%. While this weekend does not always predict accurately spending for the next month, a weak Black Friday is a bad omen.

Even if consumers are on the hunt will lowered expectations from major retailers come back to bite them? Having failed to sell large parts of their supply last year some companies like J. Crew and the Gap have cut back between 10 and 20% on inventory, meaning popular items many not have a chance to become runaway successes. This hasn't stopped retail giants from throwing open doors early with massive sales to lure consumers in starting as early as midnight, but it might affect the overall sales.

Black Friday 2009: Best Apps To Help With Holiday Shopping

2009-11-26T18:30:22Z

The holidays are now upon us and after today's turkey is digested, it will be time to strap on your most comfortable shoes and prepare for an early day of marathon shopping. "Black Friday," the unofficial retail holiday that lands the day after Thanksgiving, kicks off the season with deals and doorbusters...not to mention crowds and chaos.

However, those of you with an Apple iPhone can get a leg up on the other shoppers who have to fumble through old-fashioned newspaper printouts that list each store's bargains. You can have all the deals at your fingertips, thanks to new iPhone applications that list everything on sale. And that's not all, either. Read on for our guide to preparing your iPhone for Black Friday and the holiday shopping season beyond.

Black Friday Deals Online: BEST Websites For Black Friday 2009 Sales, Discounts

2009-11-26T10:27:29Z

The holiday shopping season is kicking into full force now that Thanksgiving is here.

With Black Friday and Cyber Monday just around the corner, some may prefer to stay home and do their shopping online.

There's plenty of great deals to be had online, and Iteya created the ultimate list of 101 websites to find the best deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2009.

On the top of the rankings were:

1. Amazon: Free Super Saving Shipping on $25+ orders

2. eBay: Up to 90% off retail for some items

3. Fingerhut: Low monthly payments and six special offers

4. Walmart: Big markdowns on certain products

5. Kmart: $5 off $50 purchase with code KMART5OFF50

6. ShopNBC: Four special offers including 15% off first order

7. Sears: $5 off $50 purchase with code SEARS5OFF50

8. Buy.com: $5 off $100 orders or $10 off $200 orders

9. Target: Free shipping on more than 100,000 items when spend $50

10. Macy's: Savings of 20-60% on more than 25,000 items

See Iteya's Full List Of The 101 Best Online Sites For Black Friday 2009 Deals.

Black Friday 2009: Tech Tools To Help You Shop

2009-11-25T17:42:48Z

I agreed to help map out plans to score some sweet deals come Friday. And as it turns out, there are a bevy of tech tools to help make the Black Friday madness much more manageable. Here's a quick rundown of some of them.

Apple Black Friday Deals 2009: Resellers Start Sales Early

2009-11-25T14:44:22Z

As was the case last year, several Apple authorized resellers are getting a jump-start on the 2009 holiday shopping season by launching early Black Friday sales that offer up to $220 off Mac desktops and $250 off Mac notebooks.

Dr. Judith Rich: Braving Black Friday: Risking Life And Limb For A Deal?

2009-11-25T12:16:33Z

Black Friday: There must be something really exhilarating about getting up at 3 AM on the day after Thanksgiving, in order to get a parking spot at the local Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, Best Buy, Old Navy, JC Penny, Staples, Toys R Us, Sam's Club, Sears or Walgreens.

There must be some sense of accomplishment in getting one of the coveted spaces at the front of the line so you can be one of the first ones in the store when the doors open at 5 AM and score a shopping cart full of deals.

There must be some kind of adrenaline "high" shoppers get from this annual ritual of risking life and limb to get a deal. People have literally been trampled to death in the rush to acquire the most sought after deals of the season. Remember the scene last year at a Wal-Mart in New York when a part-time stock clerk was trampled to death by over-zealous shoppers?

I say must be because I've never taken part in this tribal ritual. In my entire life, it has always been my goal to stay as far away as possible from anything remotely resembling a shopping center on the day after Thanksgiving.

But with Black Friday shopping now a national sport, will most shoppers come away having bagged those great "doorbuster" deals? Probably not and here's why:

If you look closely at the ads touting those deals, in small print, you'll likely see the caveat: "Limited quantities, or minimum 2 per store, or while supplies last, or no rainchecks". Some retail experts think retailers are cheating shoppers by advertising such deals as a way to lure them into the store. Well, duh! Do ya think? Shoppers, be warned.

But fear not. There are alternatives to joining the throngs of those who risk life and limb for a deal on Black Friday.

Online Black Friday sales have already begun. You don't even have to wait until Cyber-Monday. At Black Friday Online,you'll find scores of retailers who are offering just as good deals without the risk and hassle of showing up in person. Just sit back at your computer, let your fingers do the shopping and thumb your nose at all those brave souls scurrying around parking lots with shopping carts and shopping lists a flying.

Or better yet, join me and thousands of others all over the world in celebrating Buy Nothing Day, November 27, 2009. BND began back in 1992 when Vancouver actor, artist and activist Ted Dave, got the idea to send a signal to the economy and the corporate sector that consumers do have power. "Absolutely everything around us in the urban environment is set up to be coercive, to get you to buy things spontaneously," he says.

The idea was to pick one day a year in which people would boycott all merchandise purchases. Seventeen years later, the campaign has caught on in countries all over the world. Now promoted by Adbusters magazine, the campaign is intended to have consumers not just change their habits for one day, but to launch a shift in awareness around consuming less and producing less waste.

Here are some startling facts about our consumption habits: Take a minute and watch:

So if you don't like the idea of being manipulated by advertisers and retailers, if you can't stomach the thought of putting life and limb at risk by braving the crowds on Black Friday, just do nothing. Sit back, watch your favorite football games on the tube, or go feed the homeless. Consume not; waste not.

As for me, I've officially declared myself a "gift-free" zone this Christmas. I'll neither be giving nor receiving gifts, much to the delight of my children and loved ones. As a family, we began this "gift-free" tradition last Christmas and found it so successful, we're giving it an encore this year. All during the mad rush to shop last year, we were free to truly enjoy the holidays, knowing that our gifts were all about appreciating each other's presence and nothing about buying presents.

I'll be exploring some gift-free alternatives for celebrating the holidays in the weeks to come and I'd love to hear your creative ideas as well. For those who have already gone gift-free, how does it work for you? What are your plans for Black Friday? Please stop by the comment section and share your secrets for surviving the shopping onslaught. You can help me write the next chapter in our discussion.

While you're at it, why not let your friends in on the conversation? Post this to your FB page and let's hear from a wide host of others' ideas about alternative ways to celebrate the holidays.
And if you're not already a Fan, go ahead, join the club. We're a friendly bunch. You're welcome here. You're also welcome at my personal blog and web site: Rx For The Soul. You can leave personal messages for me there.

Happy Thanksgiving, and don't forget to keep your powder dry on Black Friday.

Blessings on the path,
Judith

Best Buy Ad's Mention Of Muslim Holiday Irks Some Customers

2009-11-25T10:29:29Z

A recent Best Buy ad (hat tip to CrunchGear) promoting the store's Black Friday sales includes a nod to the Muslim holiday Eid Al-Adha, which is celebrated that day.

Sounds rather innocent, doesn't it?

Instead of being praised for its inclusiveness, Best Buy is being attacked by some customers who have made their views known on the company's message board. Some consumers are particularly irked because the home electronics retailer recently announced that it will no longer put "Merry Christmas" in its flyers.

Conservative groups like the the American Family Association began attacking the retailer in 2006 after the chain said it would replace "Merry Christmas" with "Happy Holidays" in its ads. Best Buy, for its part, denies it has abandoned the C word altogether; it can be found on gift cards and online. The AFA has yet to comment on the ad.

The AFA has also called for a boycott of The Gap for its new holiday commercial which includes shout-outs to Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Solstice, in addition to Christmas.

But there seems to be a small and vocal group of Best Buy customers who don't appreciate the flyer. Some of the colorful customer responses on Best Buy's message board include (please note that these may not accurately reflect the nature of the holiday Eid Al-Adha):

"Makes sense. Stop saying Christmas because you dont want to be associated with Jesus, and instead associate yourself with goat sacrifice. Truly noble. I think ill go to Best Buy with a dead goat."

Or this response:

"Eid is not about "giving to the poor", etc. It is about sacrifice. I live in a Muslim country and the streets literally run with blood during this holiday. That is not an exaggeration. Yes, they give some of the meat to the poor...but it is all about sacrifice."

Check out more of the comments at Best Buy's message board.

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The CRAZIEST Black Friday Mob Scenes (VIDEO, POLL)

2009-11-25T08:11:04Z

The spectacle of Black Friday -- the day when consumers anxiously amass in poorly managed crowds outside chain stores to vie for discounted laptops, video game consoles, and toys, all in the spirit the holiday season -- is nearly upon us.

We previously showed you some of the best deals at those unavoidable bigbox retailers. (In case you haven't noticed, you actually can save a ton of money shopping on Black Friday.)

But to prepare you to venture out into the throng of ravenous bargain hunters, we've collected video of some of the most disturbing and hilarious mob scenes in recent Black Friday history.

If you have your own favorite footage of Black Friday madness -- or if you spot any shopping hysteria this week -- send it our way (email: huffposbiz-at-gmail-dot-com) and we'll add it to this list.

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Michelle Howard: Stuffing: The Real Value Of Thanksgiving

2009-11-24T18:50:46Z

Disclaimer:
I’m not a big fan of American holidays.
The cultural critic in me can’t help but harp on the Hallmark-ization of
most of the majors. I grew up more or
less godless: my family leveraged the time off school and work to hit the slopes
in Tahoe while everyone else was otherwise obliged.

There
were moments when this odd-one-out behavior spawned the desire for belonging in
me. Once, at a mediocre restaurant somewhere near the ski lifts, I ordered the
“Thanksgiving plate” just so I could sample the traditional trappings of the
day. Over the years I’ve dabbled with
competitiveness: a mostly vegetarian foodie, I love to proffer a pre- or
post-Thanksgiving feast, sans bird, to tantalize my turkey-toting friends.
Turns out that I love Brussels sprouts, real stuffing, and my mom’s cranberry
sauce… but I’ll never look another Tofurkey in the unface. If anyone would listen, I’d wager that I
could remember at least half of the words in Alice’s Restaurant.

Thanksgiving
has my vote as far as American holidays go. It’s a keeper. Other than Martha Stewart, Thanksgiving does
not seem to fuel the eternal combustion engines of American consumption in the
way the other holidays do. We may
consume a month’s worth of calories in one meal, but we don’t have to buy
gifts, cards, flowers, or champagne.

The
juxtaposition of Thanksgiving and Black Friday is not lost on me. On Thursday
we celebrate with cornbread stuffing and on Friday we celebrate with package
stuffing and credit card limit-pushing.
On Thursday we fill our hearts and bellies with gratitude and food, and
on Friday we fill our trunks with superfluous consumer items.

It turns
out that, in spite of calories and tryptophan, Thanksgiving is a healthy
holiday. At least, the giving of thanks is a particularly healthy
practice. In the last thirty years the
field of psychology has begun to get over its bad self and endeavor to study
the positive side of human emotions.

Professor
Robert Emmons, one of those positivity pioneers, has a book pleasantly entitled
Thanks! How the new science of gratitude can
make you happier. His premise, put
simply, is that we used to think we were born with a certain degree of happiness, and that’s all
there was to it, but now we know that that happiness level can be changed by
being grateful.

In his
study, the first major academic research into the “science of gratitude,”
Emmons discovered that:

A daily gratitude intervention
with young adults resulted in higher reported levels of the positive states of
alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness and energy…

Gratitude
intervention! Who would have thought?

And that:

Grateful individuals place less
importance on material goods; they are less likely to judge their own and
others success in terms of possessions accumulated; they are less envious of
others; and are more likely to share their possessions with others relative to
less grateful persons.

A true
scion of the me-generation and instant gratification addiction, I have to admit
that I like the idea that I can do something about how happy my life will be. I like the idea, too, that it can be as easy
as spending a couple of moments being grateful, which is pretty easy.

This is
an easy one to try at home. As you prepare to spend the rest of the week in the kitchen, give yourself a gratitude
intervention. If you’re a little rusty
with the gratitude, check in with a nearby kid.
Once you get them rolling, kids can remind us to be grateful for the
darnedest things.

Who knows, maybe you'll be happy with Thursday's stuffing and you won't have to go shopping on Friday.

I cannot tell you anything that, in a few minutes, will
tell you how to be rich. But I can tell
you how to feel rich, which is far better, let me tell you firsthand, than
being rich. Be grateful… It’s the only
totally reliable get-rich quick scheme.

— Ben Stein, actor,
comedian, economist

Gordon Laird: Black Friday Forever: Can Shopping Save America?

2009-11-24T11:52:23Z

Black Friday is a huge event in American life. Roughly one out of every two American citizens - an estimated 172 million people -- went shopping on Thanksgiving holiday weekend last year. Facing the greatest economic crisis in living memory, shoppers charged gates and malls across the country in 2008. Things turned ugly, and a Wal-Mart contract worker was trampled to death in Long Island.

Despite casualties, the massive sell-off seemed to work, as many retailers sold enough to survive into 2009. Promises were made to avoid shopping deaths in the future.

Yet Black Friday 2008 never actually finished. Desperate retailers have continued to mark down everything from TVs to luxury brands in an unprecedented wave of discounting that has redefined the marketplace. Consequently, it is Wal-Mart, dollar store chains, and the Communist Party of China - all purveyors of cheap stuff - that are today's winners, outperforming nearly everyone else, at a time when even governments and consumers themselves are overspent and showing profound signs of weakness.

Fears that surround Black Friday 2009 aren't just about shopping riots. Indeed, with much of the economy on markdown, America's very future is at stake. Can shopping save the nation?

Shopping has been good to America, yet it is becoming increasingly difficult to replicate the prosperity of the mid-2000s. Indeed, America's failure to bounce back in the face of crisis has everything to do with the fact that an estimated 68 per cent of all economic output is tied to consumer activity.

Like Wal-Mart, we don't actually make much of our own stuff anymore. Since the 1960s, America has discovered ways to create new prosperity through the development of an advanced service economy that leveraged technology, finance, affordable energy, cheap offshore labor, cheap transport, and abundant consumer credit. And with the bulk of its economy still directly or indirectly linked to consumption, America leads western nations in its dependence on consumers, and by default, it holds a deep structural dependence on affordable products, resources and services. By 2005, retail and wholesale trade accounted for 35 percent of America's GDP, employing 1 in 5 American workers.

This is a problem in the 21st century. Our economy is a magnificent but deeply flawed experiment that threatens to de-leverage itself unless we engineer new ways to infuse it with new spending. Consequently, America has already spent hundreds of billions of public dollars on buy-outs, stimulus packages, and cash for clunkers, in an effort to prevent further crisis.

The real issue is that too much public money has been invested on saving the current economy, not transforming it into something more sustainable. America's stimulus binge certainly helped save Black Friday 2009 by pushing just enough cash in the economy to stabilize retail sales for the all-important holiday season. But once the money is spent, we will still face many of the same difficult issues, such as chronic unemployment, depleted household equity, and tightened credit markets. Unless America is willing to liquidate billions in further bailouts and stimulus every several years, and even if China is willing to backstop this kind of profligate spending, today's status quo will not find stability because consumers themselves have become a threatened resource.

The very notion of a return to normal - a recovery to the flush growth of the mid-2000s -- seems a little far-fetched in light of several other trends. Ours is the century where reduced access to affordable energy will deeply penalize nations who are inefficient and wasteful. And more than any other, the dominant Wal-Mart model of progress is energy intensive: petrochemicals for plastics and textiles, container ships, trucking fleets, urban sprawl and minivans filled with loot. It's not a model that lends itself to $150 a barrel for crude oil, a reality that many agree will be part of our next decade, along with new costs associated with climate change and carbon pricing. Wal-Mart will not be the only one deeply challenged by the gradual demise of affordable resources.

Similarly, the nation that has most profoundly subsidized America in recent years with cheap offshore labor is rethinking its commitment to free-market globalization. As President Obama recently discovered, China's and America's interests are diverging. And even though it was American dollars extracted through the greatest surge of exports ever seen in human history that funded China's rise, the Middle kingdom is now pushing back: increased minimum wages, currency manipulation, growing protectionism, and a diplomatic bravado that seeks to show America who's boss. Wal-Mart itself knows where its future prosperity lies, having recently announced that by 2010, Wal-Mart International will account for the bulk of the company's new store square footage within the developing markets of China and Brazil.

Ten per cent unemployment, one in seven mortgages in foreclosure, and estimated government deficits totaling $9-trillion over the next decade - these are not the signs of a flourishing superpower. Indeed, as China rises and America becomes the world's leading debtor nation, America's continued pursuit of mass consumerism as the keystone of its economy is the very picture of an empire in decline.

Part of the solution lies in simply stating the obvious: we no longer afford yesterday's growth. The prosperity of tomorrow lies in fortifying local economies, improving household income security, skillfully managing deglobalization, as well as eliminating wasteful subsidies and bailouts. Common sense dictates diversification and sustainability, not highly leveraged shopping economies and stop-gap public spending.

On this great day of shopping, there are many choices, but few so critical as our response to the uncertain future of consumerism and globalization. Our dependence on cheap stuff has not been without benefit, to be sure, as many Black Friday shoppers now enjoy goods and technologies that were previously inaccessible. But if we cannot find ways of creating new value, and new stability, then our economy will increasingly resemble just another troubled retail chain in a discount price war, one that desperately devalues itself and eliminates jobs in a last-ditch attempt to survive.

Unless our quest for cheap becomes a quest for value, it's Black Friday forever, a race to the bottom where Wal-Mart's fortunes rise, and regular shoppers flounder.

Gordon Laird is author of The Price of a Bargain: The Quest for Cheap and the Death of Globalization, recently published by Palgrave Macmillan. www.gordonlaird.com

Read more HuffPost Thanksgiving coverage and commentary

Cindy Crawford, Kimora Lee Simmons Will Wake You Up On Black Friday

2009-11-24T08:30:49Z

Perhaps a wake-up call from Cindy Crawford, Kimora Lee Simmons or members of Rascal Flatts will get you moving.

JCPenney, which opens at 4 am this Friday, is hoping so! The retailer is offering wake-up calls from Cindy Crawford, style expert for JCPenney's Cindy Crawford Style brand; Kimora Lee Simmons, designer for JCPenney's Fabulosity brand; and Rascal Flatts band members Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney, whose "Rascal Flatts American Living Unstoppable Tour" is presented by the department store.

Black Friday: Best Sales In New York

2009-11-23T15:53:16Z

With Black Friday fast approaching, we've decided to put our ears to the ground and listen for rumors of the best sales, illusive deals, and steals happening that day (and the days before). Be prepared for an early morning and big crowds.

Here's a selection of Black Friday deals to watch out for:

Macy's will be opening at 5 a.m., with deals on clothing, jewelry and appliances, plus an extra 15% off on selected items.

GameStop will be opening at 6 a.m., with deals on video game consoles and Xbox 360, Wii and PS3 games.

Best Buy decided to start early with an HDTV sale going on right now online. They will also have an electronics sale on Black Friday, including iPods.

Amazon.com is getting ahead of the competition by starting their sale on Monday, with new deals coming all week long. Check their website for details.

Toys 'R' Us will be open 12 a.m. on Friday, with numerous deals including a $50 giftcard with the purchase of (what seems to be this season's hot ticket item) an iPod touch.

Apple hasn't officially announced anything, but there are rumours of sales on iPods, Macs and accessories.

RadioShack opens at 5:30 a.m. on Friday, with sales on cameras, computers and electronics.

Old Navy will be opening at 3 a.m. on Black Friday, but has single day sales changing from Thursday to Saturday, listed online.

Apple Black Friday Sale: 2009 Ad Leaked? See The Details (UPDATED, PHOTOS)

2009-11-23T11:21:15Z

*See photos below*

UPDATE: Apple has unveiled its 2009 Black Friday sales. See the full listing of deals on the Apple store site here.

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There have been rumors swirling about what Apple might offer for its 2009 Black Friday sales, and now Boy Genius Report has gotten a copy of what may be a leaked Apple ad detailing its Black Friday deals.

Boy Genius Report, which previously posted another unconfirmed Black Friday sales ad, notes about the new one (shown below),

We weren't too positive about that last one as it was from a new source, but this new image comes from a pretty credible connect of ours and it seems to be more reasonable.

According to the "leaked" ad, Apple's Black Friday offering could include:

iMacs and MacBook Pros from $1098

iPod nanos from $138

iPod Touch from $178

Apple TVs from $208

Airport Express from $88

Magic Mouse and Wireless Keyboard for $64 each

Boy Genius Report writes that these deals are available online only, and not in retail stores.

See the (unconfirmed) brochure for yourself below.

Before getting too excited -- and finalizing your shopping list -- keep in mind that BGR previously put up another Apple Black Friday ad, now generally believed to have been false (see it below). TUAW gives the lowdown on why it thinks it's a fake. Their explanation includes the rationale, "Historical precedence shows that Apple usually provides discounts on Black Friday, but not as big as BGR is indicating" and adds, "Apple's probably not going to send out anything with that much blank space at the top of it. They're too picky about design."

MacRumors also posted a "teaser" that is reportedly being distributed by Apple to raise awareness, especially among international customers, for its Black Friday Sale on November 27, 2009.

See the ad below:

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