Black Friday Starts Early

Some shops began their Black Friday sales already. It's something we imported from America, the idea of Black Friday sales. We had Black Wednesday in the UK before but that was only in 1992 when we crashed out of the ERM, the European Exchange Rate Mechanism – like a mini-Brexit if you will.

This year it's on November the 24th but already shops are starting the Black Friday sales. How can anything with word Friday in it be longer than a day. Is this a Robinson Crusoe thing?

While there's something about elongating the sales that bothers me, over the last few years there has been an interesting effect. Two years ago the sales were mainly on the day and people were arrested, people got punched in the queues, people waited up all night, all to get 50-quid off a telly. If you said me to me, “I want you to get no sleep and slap that granny, and I'll pay you £50 to do it.”

I'd say, “No way. I charge more than that.”

Last year the sales were spread out and there weren't as many people queuing, fighting and slapping OAPs.

The end game for this is an all year sale, when basically no one gets hurts and the price is just lowered and stays there. Nah, it'll never happen.