Avoid suffering a financial hangover

Tomorrow, as millions of people around the world swamp shops in search of bargains, an American retail group will, for the fourth year running, close all its stores and online selling operation on Black Friday. Staff at Recreational Equipment Inc (REI) have been given the day off and urged to get outside into nature and relax with family and friends. That makes sense, given that REI sells outdoor gear.

But it also makes sense to the group’s CEO, Jerry Stritzke, who believes the whole Black Friday concept promotes “rampant consumerism”. The Citizen thinks he might have a point. In this country tomorrow, thousands will lay siege to shops, even before doors open, to score what they believe will be amazing deals. In some cases, they will get real value, in others, they will be cynically exploited by retailers who have been slyly putting up prices in the weeks before Black Friday just so they can boast about “great savings!”

But, it has always been said of South Africans that “when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping…”

No doubt, some of the spending might be like a boozer using alcohol to obliterate reality … in this case, tough economic times and an uncertain future.

So, don’t overdo it. Avoid a financial hangover.