Time Management during Black Friday Season is Becoming a Real Challenge.
Is it me, or has Black Friday now become Black November? I remember, actually not that many years ago, when Black Friday was something that happened on a Friday. The day after Thanksgiving. One day only. People would actually camp out on the sidewalk outside of some stores, either the big electronic stores waiting for great deals on TVs and such, or outside big box or department stores waiting for the 'it' toy or gaming device of the season.
Then a few companies began starting Black Friday a few hours early, like late Thanksgiving Day. Then some stores were open for much of the day. Then all of Thanksgiving Day.
Then a few started offering Black Friday deals a few days in the week before Thanksgiving, then once the pandemic hit and sales went online, all bets were off. I can't say for sure, but it certainly does feel like Black Friday deals have started showing up as soon as the last trick-or-treater has gone home from the last neighborhood.
Navigating Endless Deals and Promotions
And it's not just stores that are pitching their Black Friday sales. It is online retailers, and every company that I ever clicked on one of their ads or scrolled their website looking for a product or information, or just wanted to spend some online time 'window shopping'.
As a voice actor, it seems like about every tenth person I know in the voiceover world is selling some type of product, service, program, or book, or is coaching or leading a workshop or seminar. And they don't just send something once. It is always multiple times, with just slightly different wording about how disappointed I am going to be if I don't hurry and take advantage of this or that deal.
And it doesn't stop just because the sun sets and the clock ticks it's way to midnight on the actual day of Black Friday. Oh, no, The Deals have miraculously been extended through Small Business Saturday, and into Sunday night at midnight, for all of us procrastinators who just can't seem to know a great deal when they see one and act immediately.
But wait! You can still take advantage of the offer on Cyber Monday and so as to not leave out the nonprofits, if you have any money left, would you please help out where and when you can on Giving Tuesday?
I have made the mistake of taking advantage of one or two offers during his current shopping season, and now am I not only deluged with even more emails (some stores have been known to email me TWICE a DAY and it has taken me literally months to get them to stop), but now I also receive multiple texts throughout the day until I have to type in STOP which generates another text!
AARGH!! Enough is enough!!
The Small Business Struggle is Real
It's too bad because I have gotten to the point where I am just deleting all of these emails now. Even though the onslaught of this year's Black Friday Season is behind me, we still have three more weeks to go until Christmas. I know there will still be plenty of Great Deals that I would be a fool to miss out on.
I'm going to have to take that chance of missing out on something that I probably really could use or know of someone in my life who might benefit from it. I have 95% of my shopping done already and the gifts get wrapped and put under the tree as they come in from the delivery services, my mail carrier or when I get home from the mall.
I don't need to spend any more money. I don't need to waste any more of my time, or energy. All of this 'brain clutter' really takes away from my time with family and friends, and from keeping my small business moving ahead during an already busy season.
I just need to remember to start deleting the emails next year sooner rather than later.
I just hope they don't start before Halloween...
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