Should retailers do Black Friday?
There does appear to be a one-dimensional approach by most retailers to Black Friday. It is often used to clear old stock rather than an invitation to act creatively in response to the opportunity.
The latest Daily Maverick piece explores the question.
Black Friday benefits are tenuous, even for the big retailers
Large retail systems are, by design, optimised to accommodate a steady flow of appropriately behaved customers. Sharp spikes in customer demand, like during Black Friday, put unmanageable amounts of stress on these systems and the people who operate them.
Jon Cherry