We live in this realm of consumption that continuously progress overtime and perhaps one day in the future consumption will based entirely online. Although, I don’t think that it will be anytime soon since I for one enjoy the physical act of shopping compared to online shopping. Even though we consume at least something  everyday of our lives, it doesn’t become apparent until the designated days for shopping  comes trailing in.  A time where sales and deals offering some sort of bargain  jump right into our faces. The fact that Black Friday and Boxing Day are follow ups to holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas respectively. This idea of consumption right after such meaningful holidays  somewhat confuses me, especially right after Thanksgiving day. I know that shoppers tend to use Black Day deals for early Christmas gift shopping (not necessary for every shopper), which is great. But going from a day of being thankful for what we have to the next day of shopping spree looking for what we don’t, contradicts the mood of the holiday with the two actions on opposing sides of a scale.

Besides looking at the consumer aspect of these two holidays, it is also interesting to analyze the intentions behind retail/department stores  of large corporations. Up to Black Friday and Boxing Day, the amount of marketing that companies spend to promote their products and deals to potential customers is massive in quantity, especially in the realm of media (print and online: websites). All this hype about Black Friday and later on Boxing Day, shows the culture embodied by our society. Without specifically doing research on these days, to see thoroughly what goes on and the extent people would do just to get a bargain, it is hard to see that these significant shopping days are nothing but unglamorous. We must critically see these phenomenon past the fact that it provides great deals and sales, instead it makes us feel powerless under the realm of consumption.

The competition between retail stores in Canada and the U.S. on Black Friday deals shows that consumers have choice. Canadian consumers through comparing deals make the decision of whether or not to stay and shop locally or go South, across the border to the U.S. for better deals. I truly believe that these competition is great for the consumers to purchase at great bargains, and the economy but because Canada and the U.S. are developed nations, it is no longer about consumption. It is more of us entering the stage of overconsumption, which in the long-turn will severely damage the global economy. The disparity between rich and poor nations will continue to increase because of our so-called consumption culture. For retail corporations, bargains attract customers, the price they make off each product does not necessarily matter since it is the amount of sales they can make, to clear inventory before the year ends. Starting early can guarantee retail store the advantage to do so, while for Canadian customers in particular, the chances of encountering great deals are now doubled with Black Friday (end of November) and Boxing Day (end of December).

From a cultural perspective, Americanization continues to become a reality, whether it is on a continental basis or on the international level, American culture dominates. However, we can ask the question of whether the idea of Black Friday, a new consumer culture sensation a positive or negative influence in the relationship between Canadians and Americans? The conflict seems to exist in terms of the economy, and as well as space, the overcrowding that occurs on Black Fridays in the retail stores of the U.S. and with the additional flow of Canadian into the U.S., conflicts seem inevitable. Thus, basic ideas of Black Friday (promising bargains) has extended farther as issues such as overconsumption and nation-state conflicts are at stake as well.