It’s Black Friday, y’all. When did this become such a thing? I’ve never been a shopping kind of person, so I don’t understand why this is such a big deal to people. Then again, I also am not someone who is heavily influenced by marketing. I am not loyal to brands. I mean, if something works, I will stick to it–until it no longer works. Or until I find something better. To me, that’s how it should be. I don’t get putting one brand over another simply because of what the label says. Back when I drank pop, I was a Coke person (Caffeiene-free Diet Coke, then Diet Coke, then Coke Zero). I drank the last until they changed the formula. That tasted gross to me so I quit drinking it. Then I quit drinking pop completely. If I do have a pop, though, it’ll be a Diet Coke. I have heard that Coke Zero is back to the old formula, but I haven’t tried it in years.
It’s interesting because I’ve been on a bit of a shopping jag lately, but only for one specific thing–Giant Hoodies. They make huge hoodies that fit most people, and I had bought a few of them in the past. The reason being that the hoodies I had been buying recently were ‘unisex’, but did not fit my massive chest. I cannot buy women’s clothing because it’s usually fitted and will have problems with the shape of my body over all. I have broad shoulders and big biceps on top. I have thick thighs and calves on bottom. I’m just thick and very muscular all over. So, yeah. Fitted women’s clothing is a no-go. Also, what’s up with the capped sleeves? I hate them so much. I hate short sleeves in general, but especially the capped sleeves.
Unisex is usually better about shoulders and arms, but that’s because they are just men’s sizes under a different name. Which means boobage is not taken into consideration. Of course. Also, the sweatshirts that I had this issue with (way too tight across the chest) was with a British company–which I think matters sizing-wise. I’m guessing sizes are smaller over there than here in general. But also, I have just huge boobs. They’re HUGE. And I hate them being squished–which is why I gave up bras.
I also gave up on getting sweatshirts from this company. I’m not naming them because it’s not the company’s fault. Although, weirdly, their t-shirts don’t have the same issue. I live in hoodies in the the winter, and I love them. They are comfy and warm, and they feel like a gentle hug. In fact, they feel better than a hug to me.
I don’t know how I heard about Giant Hoodies, but I was skeptical upfront. Why? Because ‘most people’ usually doesn’t include me. All their hoodies were one-size fits most, and they are pretty pricey. I decided to try one out, and I was delighted with it. Shadow claimed it as his own, and I quickly ordered another one. They also have blankets that are supposed to be really soft and warm. I was skeptical, but I got one one sale, and it’s amazing. Seriously. I sleep with it every night, and it’s the best blanket I’ve ever used. I recently got another for free with the purchase of two more sweatshirts, which was a really great deal.
They have a Black Friday sale (because of course they do), and I love their sweatshirts so much (I’m wearing one now!), I was considering buying more. Me! Someone who does not care about sales, especially Black Friday sales, beacuse nowadays, sales are pretty meaningless. There is always a sale going on, so much so that it’s pretty meaningless to say there’s a specific sale.
I will say that I can see how sales can be alluring. Steam has sales all the time, and I still feel my pulse jump when I read they are having one. So I guess that’s one way that I am susceptible to marketing. But it’s different than most marketing because Steam is not a product in and of itself. It’s a marketplace for other things to be sold. So, it’s more like Target rather than any specific product. Or better yet, Amazon.
I also think it’s funny that there is now a ‘Cyber Monday’ (the Monday after Thanksgiving). Saturday is Small Business Saturday, which makes more sense to me, just as a means to boost small businesses. Having a specific day to promote cyber sales, though, seems pretty meaningless to me. This is actually one of my issues with constant sales, by the way. There’s the mentality of always waiting for a better sale because there always is a better sale. Eventually.
When I was a kid, my father was very tight with a penny. Like painfully so. There was a reason for it. He grew up in poverty and came to America on a Fulbright scholarship. He and my mother sent money back to his parents every month. So I get the worry about money, but it manifested in weird ways.
He would fuss about anything under five dollars, but then buy something like a fifty dollar waterpick that he never used. He also bought a used car on a whim that was terrible. Either a Pacer or a Gremlin. He also bought an organ for my mother, even though she never expressed any interest in an organ. She did play the piano, but we already had one of those. One of the last times they came to America, he was complaining about kiwis being 2 a dollar. I could not believe that he was acttually saying that with a straight face. He has not had to worry about a dollar in several decades, and he could affored a hundred kiwis at that price without even breaking a sweat.
It’s funny how my brother and I have incorporated that into our lives in different and healthier ways. My brother is very money-conscious and is always on the lookout for a deal. Except when it comes to tech stuff. Then he will splash out without a second thought and has justifications for doing so. I’m not even saying he’s wrong; it’s just amusing that he prides himself on being logical, but allows himself to upgrade on anything tech-related.
I, on the other hand, don’t spend money on much of anything other than too much delivery from DoorDash (which I’m trying to cut down on). I stress out when I’m buying mundane things like socks and soap, which don’t add up to one food delivery order. When I buy anything over a hundred dollars, I agonize for ages or try to justify it in my brain. I rarely buy anything over two hundred dollars except for tech things like my laptop and my desktop.
When I first learned the Sword Form, I fell in love with it. A week or so later, my Taiji teacher’s school had their Lunar New Year demo. A vendor from a local martial arts equipment store had four swords on display. I looked at them and then immediately picked one up. The vendor said it was the best one, which of course it was. Even though I did not care for shopping, I have an eye for quality, apparently. He also told me that the foundry burned down so this would be the last one he had for a while. He did not have to do a hard sell on me because I was buying it no matter what.
It was $140. That was more than I would normally spend on one thing. I rationalized to myself that I would be using it for the rest of my life, which has been true. It’s been over fourteen years, so it’s close to $10 a year. That’s totally worthwhile in my brain.
I just purchased a steel saber because I have been using a wooden practice one all this time. It’s pricier than my sword, but I’m using the same rationalization. I plan to use this saber for the rest of my life, so it’s a worthwhile investment.