Stages people experience during the Black Friday sale
From make-up lovers and skincare aficionados to just virtual pedestrians looking for a good deal, the Black Friday sale is beloved to many. After all, it is the one time of the year where our luxury brands of choice show some mercy on our overrun wallets and give us a sale or twenty.
Maybe it is the simultaneous sales that might be going on at the different places or the perpetual indecisiveness that comes with having so many of our wish lists within our grasp that makes for this time of the year to be a bit stressful. However, that doesn't make the experience of ordering your favourite product on a hefty sale any less elating.
So, here are some of the stages people go through during the Black Friday sale.
Stage 1: Choosing your poison
This stage starts very early, perhaps even at the start of the year. It is your classic love-at-first-sight trope, but with a product. This infatuation will stay with you, at least till November, with you determined to wait for your love and take your chance at the right moment. Definitely not because you are kind of broke before that, no way.
Stage 2: Daydreaming
You had chosen to wait and not potentially bankrupt yourself for your beauty product of choice. No matter how much you close the YouTube reviews of the product (raving reviews, you might add), it is still in your mind. So, you daydream.
You dream of finally getting it in your hand and achieving your dream look. You inspect your hair that is badly damaged because you, yet again, tried to dye your hair after your 15th heartbreak this year (but mostly because you just really wanted to dye your hair), and you daydream of a saviour coming on a white horse, and why if it isn't the Jalaplex with their number 14 conditioner, coming your way. It is those daydreams that give you strength and keep you going.
Stage 3: Falling in love, again
"It happened again," is what you say to your wisest friend, another beauty enthusiast.
They ask, "What is it this time?"
You reply, resignedly, "It's the TBH Makeup Kit." And you two simultaneously sigh.
Staying loyal to your love in this current economy with the market full of consumable goods is hard. It is especially hard because there are just so many pretty products right there, with whispered reviews and recommendations swivelling near your ears. So, you get distracted again.
Then you see it. It can be those little skincare kits that you see close friends swearing by or just another day of enduring your awful eyebrow game that make you snap. The attraction is even more swift this time around, your passion winning out your logic that is screaming, "Hey, we already had a plan!"
Stage 4: The battle
Somehow, you have survived the year, and what do you know, November is almost over. So, it's time to be serious. You need to choose. Is it going to be your first love? Who you loved when life (and your skin) was relatively alright for the time being. Or, are you going to choose the one who came to you when things were falling apart, one that you probably need to be alright again?
This is a crucial step, and it is important to choose right. After all, you (your wallet) cannot have both and you need to invest in something that you won't regret later.
Stage 5: The reflection
You did it. You finally won this battle of heightened emotions and reckless spending habits. There were mood swings and there were fears of your favorite product selling out. But you did it.
However, as you are taking a victory lap around the room after finalising your order, you get to thinking about some important questions. Questions like, "Am I buying into the highly consumerist beauty industry?" or "Is this the right use of my monetary freedom?" and even "How many fries could I have had with this money?"
Then, your mind gets cleared because you actually stand by your decision. Perhaps, your care products are too expensive, but you believe it is an investment in yourself. You understand that caring for yourself is a valid avenue for you to invest in and even when it comes after countless nights' budgeting and moving things around; it is something that makes you happy. So, you let go of your unfounded fears of becoming superficial and start the wait count for your product.
After all, it is going to take another few months before you can get your love in your hand.
Raya Mehnaz likes to live life dangerously — one House MD episode at a time. Send help at fb.com/raya.mehnaz