Happy Thanksgiving to ALL!
Here’s hoping that your Thanksgiving was full of peace, rest and pumpkin pie! :)
After many years of feeding this crew, which was light this year actually as we usually have our oldest daughter and son-in-law with us, I’ve just about got it down to a science. Once the bird is done, I can pull the rest together inside of 90 minutes.
Today, rather than fight the crowds for “Black Friday”, we’ll be catching up around here, enjoying lots of leftovers and hoping to catch a nap. I’ll check out “Small Business Saturday” and “Cyber Monday” instead.
As the news reports begin to roll in, violence and disappointment seem to be dominating the crowds at “Black Friday”. From stores that didn’t stock what they had promised in “Black Friday” ads to customers using pepper spray to give themselves an advantage, this trend cannot be sustainable.
Many stores opened Thanksgiving day or evening with their big specials to diversify crowds, and yet attract the first buyers. Retailers know that you will spend the most money in the first store you enter, so the pressure is great.
However, I foresee this trend of “Black Friday” to morph into something different as people’s safety become of paramount concern. Already, we see “Small Business Saturday” and “Cyber Monday” as alternatives and I look for more options to become available.
Further, if retailers could really embrace the change in consumer trends and not position their profits so much around Christmas shopping, I feel that there could be a benefit to this madness.
Being fascinated by consumer trends, I absolutely loved this article called “Retailers Wake Up to ‘Forever Frugal’”.
Retailers have categorized those consumers who have permanently changed their spending habits since the crash of 2008 as “Forever Frugal” and I congratulate them. It’s about time.
Retailers can add the “Forever Frugal” statistics to the “Sustainable Living” crowd and begin to change their inventory.
No longer are we interested in $150 jeans that are marked down to $80. Passe is the $4 cup of coffee.
Real people have real bills to pay! Debt isn’t cool anymore. The American consumer mindset is changing and retailers need to do the same thing.
The beauty of capitalism is that it will “weed out” the impractical and unprofitable businesses if left alone. No bailouts allowed. Retailers who are in touch with the latest consumer trends will thrive and stay “in the black” all year long. Those who aren’t can close up shop. Capitalism regulates itself.
That’s one reason I’ll be shopping “Small Business Saturday“. Small businesses tend to be more “niche” oriented and specific in what they stock.
I’ll be visiting my favorite yarn shop for some yarn and needles. Perhaps I’ll stop at the local coffee shop too. That will suit my needs for the day.
I can feel satisfied that I supported my local economy and local families as well.
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Way to go! We don’t do Black Friday for the same reasons! That and being pregnant, there is no way I would shop today. I would rather make my presents:).
Thank you Kelly for mentioning the importance of Small Business Saturday! Looking forward to a Great Day!!
That is awesome! We walked the mall, sampled cheese at Hickory Farms and window shopped. We found a nice hand made hoodie with dolphins for my son on sale at a local merchant’s booth. Got supper at the grocery store – anything but turkey! We are hoping to have a quiet time the rest of our home vacation week. Redoing my storage room… I can’t wait to get it done!
I LOVE your way of thinking….buy some yarn and needles at a small shop, then get some coffee at a local coffee spot
That’s exactly what I LOVE doing. There’s a lovely, little knitting shop that I really enjoy. The lady who owns the shop is from Great Britain 
So maybe I’ll go and buy some yarn, because there’s never enough 
Otherwise, my aunt’s friend and I are going to go yard sale shopping. It’s hard to get more small business than that
I’m going to read that article you mentioned about “Forever Frugal”
Have a great weekend. Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather 
I am curious about your statement “once the bird is done I can pull the rest together in 90 minutes”. I can’t figure that out. How do you make and bake pies, boil and mash potatoes , make jello or coleslaw or relish trays , prep and cook veggies, make rolls, etc etc all in 90 minutes? Am I not understanding what you are saying?
I would have the potatoes baking in the oven with the turkey, but lately I have cooked the turkey in the crock pot with one cup of water and a teaspoon of vinegar. Vinegar cuts down the grease and helps get the calcium out of the bones. We used to be able to do that, all with the pies made not baked in the frig, and the rolls just needed heating.
Our 12 pound bird was done in 7 hours on high and it was only partly thawed when I put it in the crock. We use instant potatoes, canned veggies that can go into the microwave. We keep it simple with no jello, coleslaw or relish trays. No rolls either- just turkey potatoes, veggies, gravy and pumpkin or sweet potato pie. We ate our big meal on Wednesday. I had the leftover bones boiled for soup stock and the meat was packed into the freezer. Thursday we ate a simple leftover meal then went hiking and geocaching. It was fun to walk the afternoon away!