In Defense of Black Friday

By mid-morning on Black Friday, my Facebook News Feed was plush with greetings of “Buy Nothing Day”, sarcastic tidings of “Happy Black Friday”, and plenty of condemnation of the evils of the unofficial holiday falling annually the day after Thanksgiving.

We didn’t do much shopping on this day this year. Our only purchases were the Christmas ornaments we put in our stockings every year. Of course we bought these locally at an independently owned small business. Since it was the “right” type of purchase at the “right” type of store, I can only imagine we were granted immunity in the blanket condemnation of Black Friday shopping.

Although we didn’t shop much this year, that doesn’t mean our household is morally opposed to it. Far from it. In fact, we’ve gone shopping on Black Friday in years past. Further, I think there is good reason to do. Finally, I found these Facebook statuses mean-spirited and frankly missed the mark. (As any status, tweet, or blog post probably will.) So, here are my reasons why we might not want to give those poor souls who shopped Black Friday the benefit of the doubt. And if not the masses, at least your aunt whose present you’ll be opening in two fortnight.

1. Shopping can be a time of togetherness.

Many of the people who shop Good Friday shop together. This is a time they anticipate all year. It’s a significant shared experience that deepens the bonds of friendship. Together, they wake earlier than they normally do. Together, they plan their trips. Together, they spend time waiting in lines. Together, they laugh. Together, they share. We Christians talk a lot about fellowship. Is this the wrong type of fellowship? In my mind, the Christmas season is a ripe time celebrating and enjoying the bonds of friendship and family. Who am I to say that can’t be done waiting in line at 6:00 am at Old Navy purchasing a sweater for someone that will wear it once a week ever winter for the next five years. Somehow I think if somebody forked out a couple hundred bucks to sit in bleachers and sing Alma matter, they’d be getting a free pass on this one.

2. Shopping can be a time to think of others.

Most people I know don’t shop indiscriminately. There is no anonymous abstraction of a person. Instead they shop with a specific person in mind. They consider the needs, wants, personality, and character of the intended. In shopping for others they examine each other by looking deep into the very character of the person. The gift chosen, purchased, and given is a type of the sacramental giving of Jesus Christ at his last Passover meal where he lifted, broke, and gave the bread to his companions. The gift is given and received with great joy because it was a personal encounter between to functioning humans.

3. Shopping can be a time of stewardship.

One of the most common charges against the shopping on Black Friday is rampant consumerism. People spend, spend, and spend some more. I can’t speak for other families, but I imagine there are many like ours. Our budget for the year is set well in advance. As best we can, every dollar is accounted for before it is spent. We don’t spend indiscriminately and we try not to spend wastefully. In fact, most of our extraneous spending is reserved for two times of celebration: birthdays and Christmas. Well in advance, we know exactly what we’re going to spend on gifts. Our giving is based on a budget. Living on a budget means looking for the best value. All things considered, Black Friday has good deals. And buying gifts at a lower price means, gasp, we’re free to spend less, give more, and all those other so-called more important things.

4. Giving is a an activity fit for the occasion.

In the Christian tradition, there are two high holidays: Easter and Christmas. Both are a time of celebration. Both are a time of feasting. Unless you make and grow everything yourself, feasting entails consumption through purchasing. It demands going out and making choices about what it is you’re going to consume and/or share. This is simply the nature of the game.

Listening to the self-righteous criticism on the anonymous, yet actual living and breathing people who might just be sitting in front of you at Church, persons who spent their day after Christmas purchasing gifts, I can’t help but think of two gospel accounts. The first occurs just before Jesus’ arrest. He was in the house of Simon the Leper. There a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on Jesus’ head. The disciples were indignant: “Why this waste? This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.” Instead of rebuking the woman, Jesus rebuked the disciples and commended to woman for her generous waste. Christmas is a time of celebration. It’s a time of generously giving, and this can be done in the name of Christ, to others. Instead of a waste, perhaps it might just be an act of worship. In condemning those who shop Black Friday, do we really wish to place ourselves in the shoes of the disciples?

The second is similar. Historically it had to deal with those who were unable to understand what was happening with John the Baptist and Jesus. In response to the dual charge of too much celebrating and too much fasting, Jesus described the crowd gathered as a child who called out in the marketplace: “We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.” They missed the point. There is a time to laugh and celebrate. There is a time to cry and fast. They got the two confused. Could it be that it was those out at 5 am scouring for the perfect gift for family and friend to open on Christmas morning are the ones who could read the times? Could it be they’re the ones who hear the piper and know it’s time to dance?

5. Conclusion

This isn’t meant to be a blanket endorsement of unbridled consumerism. I get the necessary critique of spending wastefully. I think rampant consumerism can be and probably is a problem. However, I don’t believe taking pot shots at people who happen to be out on the day after Thanksgiving trying to find something nice for someone they love is the way to do it.