Local Expert Says Black Friday Shopping More Of A Game For Many
By David Madden
CAMDEN. N.J. (CBS) - Black Friday has become quite the shopping tradition in this country, and one local professor suggests it's not just about getting a bargain.
Marketing Professor Robert Schindler at Rutgers-Camden has talked to people who have gone to great lengths to get that big screen TV or piece of jewelry. And he's come to this conclusion: It's more of a personal competition for many shoppers.
"They were much more happy about saving a dollar if they were responsible for it than if they didn't feel responsible for it," he explains. "So it tells us it's not the money, but the feeling that they won it, that they were responsible for it, that they did it."
And while some may get way too serious to the point of pushing and shoving or worse, most early shoppers just want to have fun.
One woman Schindler talked to was proud to show off a couch she had bought in the late 80s falling apart in her living room. Why? Because she got it cheap…on Black Friday. Go figure.
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