Black Friday in Paris

As an American in France, one of the hardest things to compromise on is holidays. American holidays are like no other place. In America we have a schedule to follow: half a day at school Wednesday, Thanksgiving Thursday, Black Friday, Leftover weekend and then Cyber Monday. I have fond memories of being woken up by my mom at 3 am Friday morning to keep an ear out for my brother while she went shopping for TVs and game consoles. Each year there are stories of stampedes, fights and all out brawls at stores like Walmart and Best Buy which is the absolute worst aspect of consumerism and extreme shopping. 

At the end of the day, everyone loves a sale. Companies began to capitalize on Black Friday in America in the 1960s and here in France around 2014. As Black Friday became bigger and bigger in the States, French companies decided to try and capitalize off of it’s hype. Although French people are already have their sales in January and June, adding another weekend of sales before Christmas is appreciated by shoppers regardless of where they’re from. 

American tradition

Traditionally, America is a consumerist place. Our holidays are known to be big and extravagant mostly because we spend months preparing, buying and even competing for the best decorations and most festiveness. Pretty much anything you can think of can be a holiday in America and therefore can be an opportunity for businesses to make money. For example,  the first day of school (which ranges from late August to mid September) has become a pseudo holiday called “Back to School”. Back to School advertisements start in July despite much protest from children wanting to enjoy the end of their summer vacation. There’s also the shopping extravaganza of “Christmas in July” which as stated in its name is a time to begin thinking about Christmas and buying gifts and decor. We seemingly never have a break in the states; after Halloween, radio stations will start playing a few Christmas songs even though Thanksgiving is still to come. This thinking ahead has gotten us rightfully stereotyped as consumerists. 

History in France

Since 2014, Black Friday has become popular in France. It originated with big companies like Apple and Amazon but has spread across all major brands. This is a unique opportunity for French shoppers to enjoy sales before their biannual ‘soldes’ which happen in January and June. While there is no cultural meaning behind it nor nostalgia, French people are beginning to warm up to the idea of extreme sales for the last Friday in November. As we continue to be globalized and ideas continue to spread around the world, I wonder if the Thanksgiving tradition will be adapted to France via a big raclette party with a  football match during the day. The spirit of Thanksgiving may not be here but at least the semi-madness of Black Friday is! 

Here are some good deals for this year’s Black Friday (November 29, 2019).