Yesterday, I stopped by Barnes & Noble on the way home, and I couldn't help but notice it looked unusually crowded. I felt like I was at a jam-packed Toys ''R" Us or Wal-Mart rather than a bookstore. Then I remembered: It's the holidays, dummy! And I went on a good day: Magazines were 30% off, so I snagged a special edition of TIME , which focused on the psychology of relationships, and the latest edition of Lapham's Quarterly , which centers on none other than my favorite historical figure of late -- Alexander Hamilton. I later ventured over to the kids aisle and saw a Star Wars toy that I know my nephew will go gaga over. And I grabbed it just in time, as a kid came up to me and asked where exactly had I seen the toy. To his dismay, it was the very last item of its kind in stock. It was only one day after Black Friday and I had already gotten a taste of the holiday shopping frenzy that's sure to sweep the nation over the next couple of week...

I saw a meme on Facebook the other day that read as such: "Black Friday: Because only in America do we wait in line and trample others for sale items one day after giving thanks for what we already have." This is spot on. Isn't it ironic how many of the same people who give a heartfelt prayer at the dinner table on Thanksgiving are the ones jostling with other shoppers for bargains at the mall that night or the next day? It's nice to see a growing number of retail establishments closing for Thanksgiving so that their employees can spend the holiday with their families. But that list remains far too short as many stores still look to cash in on the frenzy by getting Black Friday underway on Thursday night. Many shoppers are ready to throw money at virtually anything that has "SALE" or "50% OFF" slapped on the sales tag. To be fair, some of the deals to be had really are phenomenal. But cutting Thanksgiving night short to schlep to the stor...

We're a couple of days into November. Before we know it, Christmas and the end of the year will be upon us. What are you most looking forward to this month? Some people say it's Thanksgiving. The most budget-minded among us await Black Friday with great anticipation. Still others are preparing giddily for colder weather. I'll be frank: While Thanksgiving is surely one of the things I am looking forward to the most, it doesn't sit in the top spot in my book. That distinction belongs to Election Day! I can hardly contain my excitement as I write this but, indeed, it all ends -- finally -- in three days. While there's no doubt we'll continue to see Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in the news well after Tuesday -- no matter who becomes president -- it's a relief to know that one of the nastiest elections in American history is drawing to a close at last. I think most of us have grown very tired of the mudslinging and want a winner to be declared...

I don't know about you, but there's nothing more unpleasant than walking into a mall so overcrowded that you: Constantly bump into people Can't find anywhere to sit Are forced to stand in long lines And if the mall is that crowded, it usually means finding parking will be a huge headache, so the frustration begins even before one sets foot in the mall.  Granted, I live in South Florida, an area notorious for being heavily congested. Even if a crowded mall is the exception rather than the rule where you live, you've probably found yourself in a badly crowded venue at some point, whether a concert, nightclub, or theme park.  Making matters worse is having the urge to use the restroom and not being able to because it's out of service or there's a gaggle of people waiting to use it. Or, how about being so hungry you could eat a horse, but finding that the lines at the food court virtually snake around the building? Nothing spoils a good shopping...

Shoppers spent $10.4 billion at stores on Friday. While that may seem like a large number in and of itself, it's a rather tepid showing when you compare it to sales generated a year earlier. In 2014, consumers forked over a more impressive $11.6 billion. Moreover, store sales on Thanksgiving this year fell from just over $2 billion to $1.8 billion. So what's to blame for the drops, exactly? As you can probably predict, consumer behaviorists point to online sales, which jumped 14 percent on Black Friday from 2014. All told, consumers who took to the web for their purchases spent $2.72 billion. Not too shabby, right? And we haven't even gotten to Cyber Monday (Nov. 30), which is hands down the busiest e-commerce day of the year. Perhaps this suggests that people are getting tired of braving the crowds (and the elements) to snag a good sale in person. Reports of people camping out in stores and trampling over others to grab everything from TVs to denim jeans has like...

It's a sobering reality that many people have come to associate Thanksgiving with shopping and Black Friday rather than regarding it as a day to halt the acquisition of more material possessions and give thanks for what they already have. The media, retailers, and consumers themselves are all to blame. I've lost count of the many news reports I've seen in which people begin to form lines outside of stores at the beginning of the week in anticipation of Black Friday. It's unfortunate that Black Friday has to be the day that immediately follows Thanksgiving. Why couldn't it have been, say, the Saturday after the holiday, or even the following weekend? It's utterly shameful that consumerism often overshadows the true meaning of Thanksgiving. Many people are more caught up with getting the best deals on computers and TVs than looking forward to spending time with friends and family. Let's not forget this: Unlike those whom we love, material goods can be ...

A bevy of retailers have gotten a lot of flak in recent years for either opting to remain open all day or choosing to start Black Friday early by opening late Thanksgiving night. While some consumers embrace the opportunity to be among the first to snag incredible bargains at these stores, others think the retailers should keep their doors closed on the holiday. That especially includes affected employees who'd prefer to spend that time with their families. Some groups are so fiercely opposed to business as usual on Thanksgiving that they've organized boycotts throughout the country. Finally, many of these stores have listened and are planning to remain closed on Thanksgiving. Among them are: - Costco - Pier 1 - Nordstrom - Crate & Barrel - T.J. Maxx - Marshalls - Home Depot - Barnes & Noble - Sam's Club - Staples - Ikea - Lowe's It's about time these companies recognized that there's more to life than work. Thanksgiving is a day to ...