The Black Friday Myth

Retailers raise prices in October so they can "slash" them in November. Price-tracking tools have shown this again and again — the discount is often measured against a temporarily inflated price, not the year-round price. That TV advertised at "60% off" was quietly marked up six weeks earlier.

The real product being sold on Black Friday isn't electronics or clothing — it's urgency itself. Limited hours, limited stock, lines around the building, crashing websites — all of it signals that waiting is dangerous.