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Internet- and television-based shopping has transformed the Black Friday buying experience from the crush-of-crowds event that it used to be.
Today, fewer people are willing to start lining up in front of favorite retailers long before dawn and in less-than-comfortable temperatures and other adverse weather conditions in an effort to be among the first inside to purchase "that" special gift.
However, despite the evolution that Black Friday has undergone -- and continues to experience each November, it seems -- a sentiment expressed in the headline of a Nov. 27, 2020, Black Friday-related Mirror article remains as fresh and true today as it was then: "Hoping Friday (today) is green."
The Christmas holiday-shopping season remains a make-or-break time for many retailers, especially small ones. Past-years' news reports are littered with articles about stores big and small that recorded weak profits one Christmas and, by the following Christmas, were long gone.
Therefore, especially during this time of year, spending one's money locally always is the best choice.
In fact, the same items that sometimes tempt local people to travel to distant big-city malls and shopping centers oftentimes are available here -- without burning gallons of expensive gasoline or accumulating a sizable turnpike-toll bill that, when added to the product's price, actually negate any savings that might have been sought or perceived.
As for "binging" on television-based or Internet shopping, people should try to realize and acknowledge the drawbacks.
Shopping locally affords the opportunity to see close-up -- or to try on -- what is being considered for purchase.
That avoids days or weeks of delays in being able to use what, in many cases, one sought to buy while feeling a sense of desperation.
Then there is the consideration of the good customer service that usually is available here.
When people shop locally they benefit their communities' coffers. The people who work in local stores pay local taxes and purchase items from local stores that also pay local taxes.
Local business also supports our youth, whether it's for school or church fundraisers or youth sports.
An article published in the Mirror's Nov. 4-5 edition predicted that while Black Friday prices this year probably will not reach all-time lows, shoppers nonetheless will find deals galore. Some retailers have been in holiday sales modes since early October.
It is no secret that many retailers bring out some of their best sales when they know customers are more prone to shop. Black Friday remained the most popular shopping day of Thanksgiving weekend last year, according to the National Retail Federation.
Tradition is one of the reasons why some shoppers enjoy waiting outside in freezing-cold temperatures and in whatever precipitation Mother Nature might choose to dole out, in order to try being a store's first Black Friday customer.
But, again, the fact remains that the color green remains the central focus of this special shopping experience, both for the customer and the store.
The "brighter" the green, the greater potential for optimism, looking forward. Do your part to help prevent shopping dollars from escaping from the local economy.
Instead, help spread the word about why people from elsewhere should travel here to enjoy the many benefits possible from shopping at local stores -- on Black Friday and at any other time throughout the year.