Black Friday and Cyber Monday are a cultural phenom. One that American and (in the past few years) hard-boiled Canadian consumers look forward to each year. They brave the crowds, set out a savings mission plan and shop like a thrifty gladiator entering the battle arena of value.
WHEN IT COMES TO BLACK FRIDAY/CYBER MONDAY…
While images of people camped out in Walmart parking lots regularly dominates the Black Friday news cycle (as well as trampling and fights), we wanted to find out how people really intend to spend these consumer holidays-and more importantly, how much they intend to spend. We also looked at Holiday Gift searches from the last few years on our sister site-interestingly, there’s apparently a big market for discontinued perfumes.
SOME INTERESTING FACTS FROM THE STUDY
* Men are much more open to violence on Black Friday/ Cyber Monday: One out of 10 guys (11%) would pull something out of the hands of another shopper.
* 86% of Generation Y intends to use Black Friday and Cyber Monday discounts on items for themselves.
* Men are the most generous: 26% of guys plan to spend at least $1,000 on holiday gifts.
* Very few people are procrastinating: While 4% claim they’re already finished with their holiday shopping, 41% intends to complete it on Black Friday/Cyber Monday.
* 43% will wait up to an hour on Black Friday; 24 people said they’d willingly camp out for MULTIPLE NIGHTS.
* Bosses and co-workers are at the bottom of everyone’s shopping list: Children, understandably rule (followed by spouses/significant others).
The following info-graphic is based on responses from 6,354 online shoppers who were surveyed last year immediately after checking out. Odds are things haven’t changed much this year. Here’s more from our friends at Tada, they are awesomely obsessed with reporting on all the things that online shoppers value. For the Silo, shopzilla.com/Jarrod Barker.
I was doing a bit of ‘specific purpose’ shopping at a local grocery store to pick up some of their No Name Yogurt. I buy this all the time and use it mixed with fruit, or when making a smoothie with yogurt, milk and berries.
It is worth noting, that some consumers remain staunchly brand-loyal and even brand-dependent.
They believe that no-name products are ‘not as good’ as the brand name products that they favor. In reality many no-name brands are manufactured using the same ingredients and at the same factory as the brand product, the only difference being the price and the look of the label. That being said, I’m not ready to trade in my Heinz ketchup for the no-name brand….but Aylmer is a close second. Can you taste the difference?
From the urban dictionary. www.urbandictionary.com
As I was about to take several tubs (5) off the shelf, I noticed a pad of tear-off coupons right above the yogurt. They were for $1.00 (Cdn) off each tub of No Name Yogurt that you purchased. Since I had 5 tubs in my tote basket, I peeled off 5 coupons. When I got to the check-out, I put the coupons on each tub and the cashier deducted $5.00 off my bill. The regular cost was $1.97 a tub, which would have made the total cost $9.85. I paid $4.85. I was very, very happy. I got the yogurt that I intended to buy, and I got a bargain. Also the empty tubs can be put in recycling bins, or used as food-savers for leftovers.
The ‘no-name’ brand Loblaws Canada use bright black on yellow packaging.
A friend of mine, Ken, who worked in the food industry, once told me, “Coupons are an easy way for customers to save money. The store does not loose any money, the coupons go right back to the company.”
A few years back, I decided to see if coupons did save me money. Each week I went through the newspapers, magazines, online site and store coupons I had collected as well as free coupon bins in their stores. These bins are there for customers who don’t want to use their coupons, but throw them in a bin so that other customers strolling by can scoop up whatever they want to use. I used an old duo tang notebook to record my savings, a ruler, line paper, and a pen. I drew lines across the page. I also drew lines vertically down the page for categories.
The first category was NUMBER, and then ITEM PURCHASED, then COUPON PRICE, and lastly PRICE TOTAL. I found an old, very large mayonnaise jar with a lid (the kind they used in restaurants that buy in large quantities). I put a slot in the top of the lid so that it was more convenient to drop coins into the jar rather than unscrewing the cap each time.
I labeled the jar, “Coupon Money.” Every time I went to the store and used a coupon, I put the actual money I saved into the jar. It may have been only 35 cents, or 50 cents. Then I recorded the information in my duo-tang.
I decided to do this project for one year. I started in February. I never told anyone what I was doing. If my wife used a coupon, she also added the money to the jar, and recorded the information. Never did I use the proceeds from the jar during the year, but I was tempted many times. Over the months of the year, I took the change that was accumulating and transferred it into bills, starting with $5.00, then $10.00, then $20.00 bills. The idea was to use coupons on products that I normally purchased, not to get 50 cents off a product I wouldn’t normally buy.
I was very diligent with my project that year. It was kind of a game made especially fun when I would get the jar out and look with envy at all the bills stuffed in there.
As the year anniversary was approaching, my wife started telling people about the “Coupon Project.” I heard comments like, “How silly.” “Why would you want to waste your time doing that?” “When I get coupons I throw them out.” “You won’t make any savings on them.” But at the end of the year, the jar contained $520.00. As it turned out, we needed a new couch. We purchased a brand new bed-chesterfield, including delivery, for $500.00
A week later, two friends who had thought that my “Coupon Project” was nonsense, remarked on how beautiful and expensive our couch looked. They asked, “How did you afford to buy such a beautiful couch?” I replied proudly, “coupons.” For the Silo, Blair R. Yager.
With 80% of baby boomers using the internet, it is clear that seniors are a lot more adept at using tech than we give them credit for. If you’re not convinced, just have a look at the statistics that MedAlertHelp compiled.
You will see that seniors are using the internet and smart devices a lot more regularly than most people would think. But what’s more interesting, perhaps, is the reason why they are using the internet. In this post, we will go through those reasons in more detail.
It’s Convenient
Raise your hands – who still uses an encyclopedia instead of checking the answer online? Do encyclopedias even exist anymore? Seniors are just as keen on using useful shortcuts as the rest of us.
Consider other apps that might be useful, such as internet banking, for example. In most cases, you’re not going to need to go to the bank unless you need to change your address or get a new card. Just about everything else you can do by using online banking or ATMs.
Easy Access to Information About Things That Interest Them
Most seniors cited that they enjoyed using the internet because it was an easy way to access information about things of interest. We can all relate to that. Just 20 years ago, learning something about your favorite hobby meant finding the right books or a person who could teach you.
Now, thanks to YouTube, that’s all changed. There is a wealth of information on the internet. Not all of it is great, but the support for hobbyists is nice. Want to learn how to crochet a jacket for your chicken? Google it – you will find a pattern. And, yes, there are people who crochet jackets for their chickens.
For Shopping
Online shopping and the elderly can be a match made in heaven, especially when there are mobility issues to consider. Online shopping has changed the world for a lot of us – making it possible to gain access to items that we cannot easily get otherwise.
But it can also be infinitely practical. You can shop for almost anything online, from groceries to clothing. This can be a boon for the elderly with mobility problems or issues finding transport.
For Entertainment Purposes
I have to be honest; this one was a bit of a surprise for me. Especially since I remembered growing up and being told that video games would rot my brain. However, almost half of the elderly who regularly use the net, also use it for entertainment purposes, like gaming.
Communication
The internet does provide us with a number of different ways to contact our families and keep in touch with friends. Seniors are taking advantage of services like Skype, Facebook, and other instant messaging services to keep in touch with the people who are important to them.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that the internet is a useful tool to make day to day living less complicated. We’re not counting the potential for wasting time on it here, though. But, if used correctly, the internet can save you time and a lot of stress. Is it any surprise that seniors are taking advantage of these benefits? For the Silo, Tarun Reddy.
I’d like to tell you about an easy shopping hack that moves coupon clipping into the 21st Century.
Gumdrop by Goodshop is a new free browser button which automatically finds and applies the best coupons at checkout when you are shopping online at more than 30,000 retailers including Kohl’s, Toys R Us and Amazon. It takes just a few seconds to add and then you can enjoy big discounts and save precious time by not having to search for antiquated ‘print’ coupons or cut and paste promo codes!
In addition, if you select a cause, a portion of what you spend at participating stores will be donated to that cause for free.
To date, Gumdrop has saved shoppers more than $100 million USD and donated nearly $13 million USD which has gone to find homes for stray animals, build playgrounds, fund cancer research and more. For the Silo, J.J. Ramberg.
In addition, if you select a cause, a portion of what you spend at participating stores will be donated to that cause for free.