It’s all about the deal

Who says Americans aren’t shopping? Recession or not, when Black Friday comes, we line up. Even when credit is so tight we’re forced to save up first.

Because we are a deal-based culture. Other countries, like the French, maintain this quaint obsession with quality; they will tell you that value is remembered long after price is forgotten. But for Americans, it’s all about the price.

We want a deal. Actually, we want more than a deal. We want to feel like we got away with something. Hence the term “Doorbuster.” It sounds like breaking and entering.

Just one caveat: it may turn out that prices aren’t actually that low on Black Friday.

The Wall Street Journal found that watches and jewelry actually get more expensive in November. One wristwatch was listed at $600, and sold on Black Friday for $379, but it was actually cheapest in March when it was down to $350.

Stylish winter boots: $135 on Black Friday, but had you bought them the previous September, you would have paid $85.

The best time to buy flat screen televisions is actually October.

But I have to admit, no matter what the Journal says, the ads sure do make you feel like you’re getting a steal even if you’re not.

Look at this: 92″ flat screen TV $2,819.99, but you get a $400 coupon, which brings it down to 67 cents per square inch of screen. How can you NOT get it? The screen is six and a half feet wide! You can post Amber Alerts., even as you help your country’s economy.