In years past, Sunday was genuinely a day of rest and all the shops were closed. Bank holidays were a bonus day off where we would all pray for sun (inevitably we would get rain!) and hope to enjoy precious free time with friends and family. Nowadays for those of us lucky enough to be self employed or working outside of the retail industry we can still take full advantage of these “days off” how we choose.
However, for those in the retail industry these “holidays” are the perfect time to entice the rest of us off the beach, from in front of the television and out of our gardens to spend our hard earned money on the wares they have to offer. How do they tempt us? By way of huge savings and discounts for a limited time only.
One of the first examples of this is what has become known as “Black Friday” in the United States. Thanks Giving is a major holiday for all Americans, and initially employers would give their members of staff the following day off work to recover from whatever “revelling” they had partaken in. Now…having clicked on to the fact that most Americans are not at work, retailers have taken to opening their doors as early as 4am offering promotional sales in order to “kick start” the Christmas shopping season
The UK’s best example of this has always been referred to as “The January Sales”. Having spent a fortune on presents and entertaining the family over the Christmas period, we are persuaded to part with more money by way of huge discounts in every retail store from the first working day of the New Year. Why it is still referred to as the “January Sales” is now a question indeed, as well before Santa has left the North Pole, we are being bombarded with adverts from retailers stating “SALE STARTS BOXING DAY”.
With the way of world and the economic climate such at it is today, we no longer spend these holidays in the traditional way they were intended. We work hard to earn our money and when it comes to spending it we love a bargain, so retailers will continue to attract us through their doors with promises of huge savings, regardless of it being Easter, Mayday or Christmas and no doubt we will continue to be happy to oblige!
If you have a pay monthly website service, like those offered by Digital Ark, you can add offers to your website for holidays (and other times) and remove them without having to worry about additional costs. Other options include adding discount coupons to your Google Places page.
If you would like more information, please contact me.
