Black Friday begins at Thanksgiving? WTF?

You've probably noticed the last year or two that some major retailers are opening their doors for "Black Friday" sales a lot sooner. Like, on Thanksgiving night.

SAY WHAT?

I think the idea is to reduce crowd congestion in the early morning hours of Friday. There are going to be people camping out in the parking lots, no matter what, because they want to be the first ones to get the "hot" toys for their kids, and all the cool stuff for themselves, and to heck with the consequences. For the retailers, it's all about the bottom line. The sooner they start the sales, the more money they make, increasing their profit margins. If you've got claustrophobia, this ain't for you. You're better off sitting at home, watching football, college basketball, wrestling, or whatever else turns you on. Moi? I'm watching football. I have to wade through the morning mob anyway, falling asleep on the bus as I go.

For simple commuters like me, it ain't happening tonight because public transportation to the malls will be cut off in the early evening, as if this was a Sunday.

Whatever happened to celebrating Thanksgiving and taking a day off? The hype machines are beckoning the simple to the altar of the Almighty Dollar, advance at your own risk because of the fly-by-night shoplifters & pickpockets looking for quick scores of their own. Security will have their own issues because of the likely overcrowding, leaving some of these eager beaver shoppers as easy prey for the parasites hiding in the mob.

Bottom line? For your own safety, stay home tonight, and wait until the mob clears out of the mall, sometime tomorrow. Your shopping list will thank you for it.