TIPSHEET: Black Friday deals give consumers justification for spending

Kelly Haws
Kelly Haws (John Russell/Vanderbilt University)

Whether it’s the excitement of the occasion or the sales items you can only get that day, Black Friday will once again prove an irresistible pull on Christmas shoppers this year, says Kelly L. Haws, associate professor of marketing at the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University.

“Saving money on ‘necessities’–a classification which consumers are adept at giving to gifts–further reduces any annoying guilt that might creep in when making indulgent purchases,” Haws said. “There seems to be something exciting about the Black Friday shopping experience in general, so we see the times the stores open creep earlier and earlier each year.”

Haws can talk about Black Friday and the holiday shopping season.