Tomorrow is the big day.
Black Friday. The most insane shopping day of the year. (As opposed to the evening before Thanksgiving, when it is crazy to go to the grocery store.)
Black Friday got its name because that is when retailers are supposed to make enough sales to put them in the black for the rest of the year. However, I don't expect sales to be that great this year. Among the things I've noticed:
- Every year there are commercials for door prizes. The first 100 people at JC Penney's will get a plush toy, or the first 300 people at Target will get "valuable coupons". This year? I didn't see a single commercial that specified door prizes for early shoppers. Maybe I was just watching at the wrong time, or maybe I watch the wrong channels, but I just didn't see any.
- We don't get the newspaper, but every Thanksgiving they deliver one anyway. It's a courtesy paper paid for by the three inches of advertisements and Black Friday bargains. This year? No paper. (And yes, the paper is still being published.)
- Halloween candy was really expensive this year. In past years, they would drop the prices to encourage sales and they would extend the buying period. This year, the candy showed up late and didn't really drop in price. I view this as a sign of things to come.
- Holiday music is missing. There is always that one radio station that begins playing non-stop Christmas music before Halloween. This year? Well, it's already Thanksgiving and I haven't heard any Christmas music on the radio. (I counted this as something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.)
Good Bye Brick and Mortar
Remember the old days when Radio Shack sold radios (and had battery cards), the donut shop sold donuts, and the video store was the only place that carried videos? (Be kind, rewind.)
Today I can buy DVDs everywhere -- Target, Kohl's, the grocery store, and even at the gas station. All of these places also sell digital cameras, radios, and add-ons for your iPod. Electronics are truly mainstream since you can get them just about everywhere.
I think it is this omnipresence of technological availability that might be hurting Black Friday. Every company is competing against everyone else. And while a few die-hard bargain hunters will seek out the absolute cheapest deal, most people will take an average discount at a convenient location. (Then again, I live in a town where 100 people waited in line during a blizzard so that they could get
free fast food processed chicken for a year...)
Slipping a Disk
Another trend I've been noticing is much more disturbing. Nearly every electronic device we buy these days contain a CD-ROM. My standalone DVD player had a CD for the computer so you could read the manual -- even though it shipped with a printed copy. My netbook came with a CD-ROM, even though it doesn't have a CD-ROM drive. Heck, even my alarm clock came with a CD-ROM. (Ironically, my iPod Nano was the only thing that didn't include a CD-ROM with it -- go Apple!)
It wouldn't be so bad if these CD-ROM's just contained manuals. Unfortunately, they all contain programs that Windows wants to run. Uh, why does the CD-ROM manual for my DVD player want to install drivers on my computer? It isn't like the DVD player is networked -- there is no connection between the computer and DVD player. The DVD player doesn't even have a network card!
I view this as a huge security risk. The typical user won't know any better. Either out of curiosity or a false sense of requirement, they
will put these CD-ROMs into their computers and they
will install whatever wants to be installed. Sadly, I visited a friend who's computer contained tons of unnecessary software and crap because he felt a
need to put in these unnecessary CD-ROMs. "But I need that!" "Why?" "I don't know! But I need it!"
I suspect that at least one of these unnecessary bits of plastic is what gave his a computer virus.
My advice for this season: If the item you purchased comes with a CD-ROM, try not using it. You might be pleasantly surprised to find that you already have drivers for that scanner, printer, or digital camera. Your new MP3 player may not need drivers and your new home router works fine out of the box. Only put the CD-ROM in the computer if you absolutely cannot get the device to work without installing something off the disk.
Remember: the "U" in USB stands for Universal. Chances are pretty good that any USB device will be supported without special software.
(Of course, if the item you bought
is a CD-ROM or DVD, then go ahead and use it.)
