Special Reports & Tweets - 20121206_SpecialReport_Alex
Aired: 2012-12-06
Duration: 04:02


=== Black Friday Christmas? No Way! (04:02) ===

[00:00:00]  The immense popularity of Black Friday and the introduction of Thanksgiving Day shopping
[00:00:23]  this year is prompting many Americans to question the mental health of people who participate
[00:00:29]  in these events.
[00:00:30]  The success of Thanksgiving Day shopping has also prompted many media outlets to hint that Christmas Day shopping could be introduced to the public in coming years.
[00:00:40]  We asked local Allstonites what they think of this prospect.
[00:00:43]  Okay, do you want a Black Friday Christmas?
[00:00:45]  No.
[00:00:48]  Why not?
[00:00:49]  Because you have 364 other days to shop and I don't think people should shop on Christmas Day.
[00:00:55]  Absolutely not.
[00:00:58]  I believe that Black Friday for Thanksgiving is already enough for the American consumer and Black Friday Christmas will destroy everything really Christmas is about.
[00:01:10]  Finally destroy it for real.
[00:01:13]  No.
[00:01:15]  Why not?
[00:01:16]  First of all, I don't even know what it is.
[00:01:18]  Absolutely not.
[00:01:20]  Um, I think that that would ruin Christmas.
[00:01:22]  It just would, to make it its own holiday, would be... I don't know.
[00:01:26]  I don't like it.
[00:01:28]  That'd be awesome.
[00:01:30]  Yes, definitely.
[00:01:31]  I think it would help.
[00:01:33]  I mean, if they want to be open, go for it.
[00:01:34]  I'm not going to be out there shopping.
[00:01:36]  So I'll be with family, hanging out at home, relaxing.
[00:01:39]  What are your thoughts when you see videos of people trampling each other for cheap products?
[00:01:44]  White trash.
[00:01:47]  What are my thoughts?
[00:01:49]  I would never, number one, stand in that line.
[00:01:51]  Number two, I would never trample over people to get something at Walmart.
[00:01:55]  I feel like they've lost all connection with humans and they see humans as sort of just a roadblock in their life, I guess.
[00:02:06]  They're just completely closed off to others and just really simple-minded.
[00:02:11]  Well, I think it's funny, like I said.
[00:02:14]  Don't people get trampled?
[00:02:15]  You think it's funny?
[00:02:16]  I think it's sad.
[00:02:20]  Well, it's kind of hard for me to say because I'm one of them sometimes.
[00:02:24]  It's kind of an adrenaline rush to see, you know, they have five products at this price and there's 20 people going for it.
[00:02:31]  You know, who can, it's like, who can win the trophy?
[00:02:34]  Well, I'm working in the medical field and we had a lot of people that actually had broken bones because of Black Friday.
[00:02:41]  You know, they got the TV, but they had a $4,000 doctor bill to go along with it.
[00:02:46]  According to the National Retail Federation, stores that were open this past Thanksgiving Day experienced a 22% increase in profits over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
[00:02:57]  According to the Wall Street Journal, in past years, many retail stores were also closed for Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day.
[00:03:05]  What do you think of the fact that a lot of experts say that the discounts on Black Friday aren't even that great?
[00:03:10]  I agree.
[00:03:11]  Totally agree.
[00:03:12]  They're not that great.
[00:03:13]  They just make you spend more money.
[00:03:16]  They're not that good.
[00:03:18]  You can get the same discounts if you just watch the ads and look online.
[00:03:22]  I didn't know that.
[00:03:23]  That's pretty interesting, though.
[00:03:25]  I didn't know that either.
[00:03:26]  I mean, the first toy that I ever got from Black Friday was the Game Boy Color, and it was like $40 when we got it at the time.
[00:03:34]  That was something that cost $200.
[00:03:37]  So I always thought Black Friday was a great deal.
[00:03:39]  Does the Black Friday-dization of society boost holiday morale or hurt holiday morale, in your opinion?
[00:03:46]  I don't know if it boosts or hurts but it certainly changes the focus and that's the problem.
[00:03:51]  I mean it can boost it.
[00:03:52]  It can because I mean it's kind of a family thing.
[00:03:55]  A lot of families make it an event to go and get everyone together so in a way it can create like a family thing.