Real Deals Or Just A Marketing Scam?

However, some buyers are rather skeptical about the purpose behind the popular holiday shopping.

Last week, Walmart made headlines by announcing its Black Friday specials would be extended from one day to five, starting Thanksgiving morning and going through Cyber Monday. Other retailers seek to usurp purchases that would otherwise go to competitors with Black Friday presales.

With specials beginning weeks before its official date of November 28 and lasting nearly a week later, how is the once official kickoff of holiday shopping remotely meaningful?

According to Forbes writer, Kathleen Kusek, in an earnest effort to present consumers with what they think they want, retailers may be overwhelming them to the point of losing credibility.

"My understanding is that prices aren't actually lower on Black Friday," says Julie Mahoney, physician and mom. "It's really a marketing scam." Though Dr. Mahoney is skeptical, she does not ban Black Friday festivities in her household, with two tweens studying ads to determine planned purchases, some with their own money, and some with mom's. "For the kids, the day off school is where the true pleasure lies. And for the throngs, there's a Starbucks involved, so they're into it."

This social event celebrates the long weekend with friends and out-of-town cousins. Sure, sales may surge, but they are less critical to the success of the annual tradition for Dr. Mahoney's family than the tall nonfat peppermint lattes with extra whipped cream and chocolate from the in-store Starbucks (for which gift cards are already procured).

Days ago Marina, a 14-year old living in an affluent Denver suburb, began negotiating for a 7am ride to the local Target on Black Friday, where she will go with her best friends in tow. Her planned purchases are light on gifts for others, mostly attire and movies for herself.

Will is 12, also planning to head out for Black Friday madness, without a specific list but likely to shop for video games…no different than his other shopping excursions except that this particular occasion is planned weeks in advance, will be earlier in the morning, and is in the company of three of his buddies, instead of his mother or father.

Despite skepticism among many consumers—much of it due to an overload of information from retailers—there are significant Black Friday savings to be had. The question is how much time and effort the potential savings are worth to buyers.

However in Nigeria, Black Friday is beginning to gain popularity among consumers, although presently it is still restricted to online stores like Konga and Jumia.

Last year, Konga experienced a large influx of traffic on their website as consumers sought to get their hands on the "ridiculously" cheap stock on offer. The "heavy" online presence of eager customers rendered the website temporarily disabled for a couple of minutes, after which it was successfully restored, and the buying and selling continued as before.

With Jumia joining the Black Friday frenzy, we hope that by next year, various shops across the country would begin to tap into the international shopping holiday and make it possible for those who may not have access to the internet to also benefit from the sales promo.

So far, consumers in Nigeria have not expressed any form of displeasure regarding Black Friday. So it's safe to say that for now, the shopping event goes beyond mere marketing here. It is still a shopper's delight and many have saved the date, armed with their debit cards.

We shall bring you comments and reactions from consumers thereafter. Watch this space!