Episode 181
From Best Buy Battles to Amazon Anxiety
Remember when Black Friday meant people fighting at store entrances and camping out for deals? We dive into how one of America's biggest shopping traditions became a ghost town in just five years and what it reveals about how businesses must constantly evolve.
In this episode, we get nostalgic about our completely different Black Friday experiences. Brad loved the event getting up early, hitting Home Depot for tool deals, and making it a tradition. Steve? He watched the chaos on TV from his couch and wanted nothing to do with it. But here's the thing: whether you loved it or hated it, Black Friday as we knew it is dead.
We discuss how COVID accelerated a massive shift from in-store to online shopping, giving consumers the ultimate "easy button." But we're predicting the pendulum is about to swing back. Retailers will start using "in-store only" deals to drive foot traffic again. Free shipping and returns can't last forever the pricing models have to adjust. We break down what this means for your business and how you need to stay ahead of these shifts.
Plus, Brad shares his quest for a reasonably-priced outdoor TV (send recommendations!), and we talk about the generational tool gap younger folks don't even have basic wrenches and screwdrivers in their apartments anymore.
Highlights:
- The Easy Button Has Limits - We predict tiered pricing is coming because businesses can't keep giving away free shipping and returns forever.
- In-Store Exclusives Are Coming Back - We're calling it now: retailers will reverse course and use "in-store only" deals to get foot traffic back.
- Early Opening Times Return - Expect stores to go back to 6-7am openings as they compete for shoppers again.
- The Generational Tool Gap - Younger generations don't have basic tools anymore, creating both a skills gap and opportunities for the trades. This could be a great gift idea...
Whether you're hitting the (empty) stores this Black Friday or clicking "add to cart" from your couch, ask yourself: Is your business adapting to meet your customers where they are today?
The market never stops moving. Consumer behavior shifts faster than ever. What worked five years ago doesn't work now and what works now might not work in two years.
Join us in the Blue Collar BS community where we discuss business evolution, market trends, and strategies for staying ahead of the curve. We host office hours Mondays & Wednesdays and offer one-on-one sessions Mondays & Wednesdays. Check out our website to connect with other trades professionals who are navigating the same challenges.
Get in touch with us:
Check out the Blue Collar BS website.
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Brad Herda:
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Transcript
Hey everyone, welcome back to this episode of Blue Collar. B-S-I-M-B as in Brad.
Doyle (:And I'm the S as in Steve. I am completely sure.
Brad Herda (:Are sure? Are you really sure?
Perfect perfect. Well this show today even though we're recording here in October is coming out on the most glorious day of the year what used to be one of the most glorious days of the year black Friday
Doyle (:yeah, fisticuffs and everything right at the door fronts. It was great. Love watching the
Brad Herda (:Standing in line, standing in lines for hours to get into Best Buy or into Toys R Us. If you remember what Toys R Us was standing, standing in line to go get the deal at Home Depot or Menards or wherever you were going to get the thing. Yeah, that's not what it is anymore.
Doyle (:hours.
Doyle (:yeah.
Doyle (:Mm-hmm
Doyle (:Not anymore. Not at all. And I find it very interesting of how...
Brad Herda (:So before you go interesting and change, what was your Black Friday tradition? When you were in corporate and you weren't working and you were home on that day after Thanksgiving, what did you and your family do?
Doyle (:I hate you.
Doyle (:Nothing. so ironically enough, the thing to do was turn on the news and see who was getting the shit beat out of them. For some stupid toy, for some stupid Furby or some stupid toy that your child just had to have that they would, after two weeks, was run over by the car because they left it outside and...
Brad Herda (:Well, it is Detroit, why not?
Brad Herda (:Barbie.
Doyle (:They wanted to see what would happen if you ran it over. You know, something like that, right? I don't remember.
I don't remember much about trying to go out on a Black Friday and deal with the crowds. Like that's not my thing. Like not my thing. I didn't like scouring the newspaper. Like get the newspaper for the holiday ads. And right, and you're circling stuff, right? And then it's like, okay, do I need to go hit this deal and this deal and this deal? Like I've watched my...
Brad Herda (:yeah, Thanksgiving newspaper. Here's all the stuff. Yep.
Doyle (:I've watched relatives go and they did the whole Black Friday thing and they'd be standing in line for hours. You know, get in line at midnight. And I'm like, why? This is stupid. Like, no. no. For what? Because it's like a hundred dollars cheaper than normal. Like, is it really a deal because it's a knockoff? Like, I don't get it.
Brad Herda (:It's a good deal.
Brad Herda (:Well, that's the difference though. That's you. That's a you problem.
Doyle (:I mean, I mean, well, I mean, did you wait in line to go get the newest latest golf club?
Brad Herda (:No, but I would. Right. So that was a big deal. So my wife would sleep over at her sister's house on Thanksgiving night. They'd get up early in the morning and go hit that area of town for some of the stores and things like that. And I would go out to I actually enjoyed getting up. Usually I didn't have anything that I needed to go get other than there was there were a couple of years where it's like, hey, that thing's on like when
Doyle (:Mm-hmm.
Doyle (:Mm-hmm.
Brad Herda (:GPS units for cars. You know, before we had phones, we actually bought a Garmin and you had to get the maps and all those other things. And it was a separate thing and plugged into the cigarette lighter and all of that.
Doyle (:Mm-hmm.
Doyle (:yeah, yeah, yeah.
Doyle (:I just went to AAA and got my map.
Brad Herda (:I was yeah, that didn't work out well sometimes. There was a super smoking deal at shop Co. Which just happened right down right in our own neighborhood. And I'm like, OK, went there, got it, walked right in, walked to the back, said I want that guy. I was out in like five minutes. It was a fight, right? It was like, OK, great. So was but.
Doyle (:Doyle (04:05.25)
Wow.
Brad Herda (:There were other places where like Home Depot has their tool specials. Like usually the Black Friday is for things that I want to get for myself personally, not what I'm going to get for other people. So for me, for me, it was like, I'm just going to go out and we're to hang out and do the thing because I was occasionally once in a while stuff for the kids. But it was more of it was more of the event and the experience. And over the last five years, even post covid, it's a it's a ghost town.
Doyle (:duper.
Doyle (:Mm-hmm.
Brad Herda (:what used to be get up and go and hey, something's open at six o'clock. I don't I'm up anyhow. I'm usually up doing things and being someplace at six is not a big deal. They don't open till eight. They might even not open till 10 o'clock. It might be just a normal regular Friday hours because everything's done online and everything's gone. Right. That whole that pressure of be nice to the cashiers and the excitement and the energy of the holiday season coming and all that stuff.
Doyle (:Yeah.
Doyle (:Mm-hmm.
Doyle (:Any?
Doyle (:Yep.
Brad Herda (:That's what it was for us. It was like, hey, we know that Christmas is coming. We know that this is the time to get things done or ready to go. There is no sneak up. There is no sneak attack. Right. Because because this was the day to go get the things and do the stuff and and go make sure that happened. And it was and then come back and watch football all day.
Doyle (:Mm-hmm.
Doyle (:Yeah. Right?
Doyle (:Mm-hmm.
Doyle (:Yeah.
Brad Herda (:college football day and NFL and whatever else, right? Because you had at that time in bowl games were going on and starting and different things. So it was just
Doyle (:I'm in for
Doyle (:Mm-hmm.
Brad Herda (:It was just a way of it was a it was a get the Christmas tree up, do all the things right the day after it was. Because we had artificial trees, it's like just today is the day the tree goes up great fantastic. Doesn't get decorated, but at least it gets up and put in the put in the living room, move all the things around, take all the things off the walls, all that type of shit. Bring up all the stuff in the basement. I mean that was kind of the day of what you did.
Doyle (:Mm-hmm.
Doyle (:Yep.
Doyle (:Yeah. So what I find interesting with all of this is, as you mentioned, within the last five years, the monumental shift that has happened. And think of that from a business perspective of how businesses have shifted or some would say a pivot, some will say a shift. They've evolved to meet the demands of their customers.
from an ease standpoint, which is fantastic for consumers. You've given me that easy button to a point.
Brad Herda (:Correct.
Brad Herda (:Correct. And what I find, I believe will begin to happen again, as we're getting back more into the, we need foot traffic, we need people, we're not afraid to go out and do things anymore. What I believe will happen is that there will be...
things that will show up in the ads and in the places and in the stuff.
that'll just say in store only. It'll be the reverse. It'll be the reverse of what was going on. Get it online, save early, don't do this, don't do that. The reverse of that will happen. You saw stores not open for a few years pre COVID opening up at nine o'clock Thanksgiving days for holiday specials to kind of who could go the earliest.
Doyle (:Correct.
Doyle (:Mm-hmm.
Doyle (:Yeah, mean, yes. Like as soon as Thanksgiving was literally you clear the table off, the stores are open for Black Friday deals.
Brad Herda (:Right instead of right, which then became the employees were all pissed off and all these things and they couldn't get people to work. Remember, open at 9 o'clock and we're going to stay open 24 hours to go through. Well, you couldn't get the staff to do it and it didn't matter. So you had that route for a little bit. Now you're starting to see I think I think this year we will see. I don't know. This is my prediction. You could probably go on some website to find out what those hours are going to be. But I think we're going to start getting back into that 6 o'clock, 7, 6 o'clock start time.
Doyle (:Mm-hmm.
Doyle (:Mm-hmm.
Doyle (:Mmm.
Brad Herda (:or for the door buster type scenario. I don't know that we'll get to the 5 a.m. 4 a.m. again, but I think you'll see more more in store only not available online. Come into this or to get your things versus get it online. And it'll be interesting to see if that works or doesn't work from a strategy.
Doyle (:Mm-hmm.
Doyle (:Mm-hmm.
Doyle (:Right. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. I'm. Seeing more of the. The the text rule, the need to like see it, feel it, touch it first. Aspect, so you're seeing some people go, I actually want to see this and touch it before I buy it now. You have that.
Brad Herda (:I to read the things that are on the box. I want to make sure it's the right size. I want to make sure that it's the right pattern. I want to make sure it's just that other thing. I bought some shit for my basement, Amazon, some stuff for magnets for my I-beam to hold some things just for storage. I OK, I'll get these. I'll get some magnetic hooks. Shouldn't be a big deal, right? It's like, OK, this will be cool.
Doyle (:Mm-hmm.
Doyle (:Mm-hmm.
Doyle (:Mm-hmm.
Brad Herda (:Okay, I know what a one inch magnet looks like and I can see the little I'm like, okay, here's the here's the throat on the on the cup hook that's going into it. I'm like, Hmm. It works. It's great. But nine chance that 10 most people can't do that spatial awareness to go. What does this look like? What does it really mean? Like, I wouldn't buy that for that much. I would buy it for this much, but not that much because those hooks are way too small when you don't need I mean, I don't I'm hanging.
Doyle (:Mm-hmm.
Doyle (:Right.
Mm-hmm.
Brad Herda (:ounces off of it. don't need. It'll hold 60 pounds and I'm ounces of it. It's plenty good for what I'm trying to do, you know? So but yes, that that PK physical kinetics of needing to. After being burned so many times from the online ordering aspect of things. Right, I see the great picture. But does it really exist that way when it shows up?
Doyle (:Right.
Doyle (:Mm-hmm.
Doyle (:yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Brad Herda (:now I gotta return it. Now I gotta do this. Whereas if I just go to the store, either I'm gonna like it or I'm not gonna like it.
Doyle (:Mm-hmm.
Doyle (:But I will say like there's so the specific example of why going into the store matters. My daughter wants a LED light bulb for her ceiling fan. Okay, so the threads on that are a little smaller.
Brad Herda (:So it's a fan, it's a fan thread, it's a fan base, not a regular, was it E20 or whatever bulb, it's a
Doyle (:It's a ceiling fan with a light.
Doyle (:Well, see, that's that's where you got me, because I don't know the difference in all the bulbs. I just know that it's got a smaller thread on it.
Brad Herda (:Hold on, hold on.
Doyle (:Just saying.
Brad Herda (:Mr. Engineer, you don't...
Doyle (:Whoa, not that type of engineer. I'm recovering. Size, you know, it's all in how you use the tools you got.
Brad Herda (:It's still a size. Size matters, Steve. You should know this by now.
Brad Herda (:Right. And some are regular base bulbs and some are smaller base bulbs.
Doyle (:Yep, and these are smaller ones that that part I know. Yep.
Brad Herda (:Okay, so Steve's looking for smaller ones to fit in the van.
Doyle (:That's right. Not the big ones, because the big ones just don't work. So she but she wants. A what? I got time for I just need the one that fits in the fan, that's all I need. But you know, you go to the store. And yeah, we have those ceiling fan, we have those lights, it's the whole wall of them, and now you're like they're all different sizes.
Brad Herda (:You need the Candelabra base is what you're looking for. It's called the Candelabra base.
Doyle (:It's like, why don't we have a uniform size? Like what is going on? But if I was, there is a standard. There is.
Brad Herda (:Well, they do. There is. It's a Candelabra bass. Now, now do I want to I want the cool white version? Do I want the 2000 K version color to give me that nice little yellow?
Doyle (:I want the one that I can change colors on my phone version.
Brad Herda (:so you got a smart bulb.
Doyle (:She wants a smart bulb for her ceiling fan. So can you imagine searching for this smart bulb online or go into the store and look for it?
Brad Herda (:Like in two minutes, no problem. I bet you I can help with. I should go to Amazon right now and have hundreds of choices.
Doyle (:Right.
Doyle (:I bet you you could. You're going to have hundreds of choices, but is it the right size? Because the LED sizes are slightly different.
Brad Herda (:What do mean sizes? You talking wattage or are you talking the base of the bulb? It is not different.
Doyle (:the base of the bob.
Don't tell me that because I know for a fact it is. I walked into the store and they're different.
Brad Herda (:Did you take your micrometer with you? Did you take a micrometer with you?
Doyle (:I actually took the ball bin. I took the ball bin with me. I do have one, but no, I did not.
Brad Herda (:So when you say different, tell me what different means.
Doyle (:There are three different sizes.
Brad Herda (:wattages or base sizes.
Doyle (:No, no, we're not talking wattages. We're talking three different sizes.
So that's what I found to be very interesting. And so now you're trying to match up that size for that stupid ceiling fan, but.
Brad Herda (:Yes, there's E12, E17, and E26.
Doyle (:Yeah, like I said, there's three sizes. Which size is it?
Brad Herda (:Well, my guess is that you are probably well, I'm going to say you're probably East. You're you're you're probably E17. You're probably in E17 for intermediate ties.
Doyle (:I don't know. My thing is, is I don't know.
Doyle (:it's an X, I think it's an A15.
Because there is a different E versus the A size.
So anyways, I personally like to go in and look at the light bulbs to make sure I'm getting
Brad Herda (:There's people right now just laugh going, you guys are fucking stupid. You know that, right? The electrical contracts are going, you guys are fucking morons.
Doyle (:Hahaha!
Yep, but that's all right. I don't care. I personally like to go in and look and touch and see and make sure versus order online for something like that. Because how many times have I ordered online? I've ordered the wrong size. I've ordered. I've done that quite a bit.
Doyle (:Yeah
Brad Herda (:you're talking different things here. The A is the bulb, the E is the base. So you're talking about the bulb size or the base size? Okay, perfect. Because they are, yes, you are correct. are, yes.
Doyle (:Yes.
Both.
I'm actually talking both because you can thank the wonderful design engineers for designing something so wonderful.
Brad Herda (:Okay.
Brad Herda (:Well, there you are again. It's all in your realm.
Doyle (:Naaaahhh! Anyways.
Brad Herda (:Brad Herda (16:10.705)
those who live in glass houses.
Doyle (:Throw a lot of stones. Stupid engineers.
Brad Herda (:I'm aware. Stupid engineers.
But yes, that physical tactile piece is important, right? Particularly in clothing, different components, different things. it gonna fit? Is it gonna work? Is it not gonna work? The...
Doyle (:Mm-hmm.
Brad Herda (:I also think the free return aspect of things that's going on in the world things that will end up that will end eventually because it's a way to change the pricing models.
Doyle (:that's gonna end.
Doyle (:Correct. At some point things will readjust.
Brad Herda (:All right, I can pay $9, have it now with three returns, or I can pay it $6, have it tomorrow and no return if I get it right.
Doyle (:Mm-hmm. Yep.
Brad Herda (:I'm take the $3 risk or not because the pricing model changes when I don't have to worry about paying for return shipping for a $6 item.
Doyle (:Mm-hmm.
Doyle (:Mm hmm. Absolutely.
Brad Herda (:But yeah, I'm looking forward to it. Yes, Black Friday has always been one of those days of it just something to do. It's a it's a event. It is a day of just going out and finding things. It's for me. It's what new what new what's going on at Home Depot for me. Home Depot is what what have they got in the tool aisle, the hand tool aisle, the what's going on special, what's happening. You know, my kids, my kids are younger. They get mad at me like a couple of years ago. You know, here's the
Doyle (:You
Doyle (:Mm-hmm.
I just.
Brad Herda (:Here's the two piece vice grip and the two piece crescent wrench set, right? Just have something in your apartments to just be able to do something with. Here's the screwdriver.
Doyle (:Mm-hmm.
Doyle (:Get him the $200 Milwaukee Hammer. That's all you gotta do.
Brad Herda (:That's not going to work out well in an apartment.
Doyle (:I mean, you never know. It's a multifunctional hammer.
Brad Herda (:It is a multifunctional hammer, however, it tends not to get your security deposits back.
Doyle (:Yeah.
You just never know.
Brad Herda (:But yeah, it's like last year I was looking at to get them the, you know, the 250 piece Husky set with all the ratchets, wrenches, all the things, but like, well, I'd have to ship that one to my youngest in Florida because he's not putting on the plane. I'm not going to do that. So he doesn't really have any places in the apartment for it. But those types of things, those smaller tools, that's the stuff that, you know.
Doyle (:Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Doyle (:Right.
Brad Herda (:the younger generations aren't getting because they're not paying. Now I gotta call a handyman. I gotta do it myself. Even though they're competent enough to do their own little things. They don't have the tools to do so. So that's what I tend to use that good friend that Black Friday for.
Doyle (:Mm-hmm.
Doyle (:Right. Okay. I like that. That's good. That's good.
Brad Herda (:What can I get for myself? There's that, there's that apathy piece again.
Doyle (:I mean, you're not wrong. You're not wrong. I mean, I will admit, I will admit that's what I usually scan the deals for. What is it that I need that we need?
Brad Herda (:I am.
Right. What I'm really fingers crossed for this year is that there is a full sun outdoor television that is not five grand.
I am really hoping for a 55.
Doyle (:Well, what size? Okay.
Brad Herda (:I want a full sun outdoor television so I don't have to take the television in and out all the time.
Doyle (:Why don't you just get a big giant swing arm?
Brad Herda (:because it's still got to sit outside.
Doyle (:Well, can sit outside and then swing it in.
Brad Herda (:It can't sit outside and swing it in because there's no outside to inside the dumbass. It's not like it's a song.
Doyle (:Make one. Just make one.
Brad Herda (:No, no, because it's literally 26 feet away from being inside.
Doyle (:Thank
I know. I'm aware. I've seen it. I've seen I've seen the photos of where it is. you
Brad Herda (:Yeah, so no, no, that's not gonna work out well. It's still outside. Might be undercover, but still outside.
Brad Herda (:That is my...
The thing that I'm hoping will go on some Black Friday special.
Doyle (:Mm-hmm.
Brad Herda (:So any listeners that have ideas for reasonably reasonable outdoor televisions or brand names or anything they might have or anything they might think, please send it my way because I am desperately looking for something that is not ridiculous but functional and will last. Cause I'm getting, cause I'm getting lazy. I'm getting lazy. don't want to.
Doyle (:Yeah. Yep.
Brad Herda (:Right? Because had I had the outdoor television outside ready to go and I know it and I knew I wouldn't have to bring it back in the house, I would have probably watched that debacle. Watch the Dallas Cowboys tie a game or the Packers tie game, even though probably went outside and watched that game more often than just sitting in my. Living room watching it because it was a nice night. It was a nice night out. I get the patio heater out, do the thing.
Doyle (:Hmm. It was. Mm-hmm.
Brad Herda (:But that's like, I got to take it all down and do all the stuff. It's just much easier to stay in my living room. Whereas if there was the TV for outside already there, just turn it on. No big deal. And I just walk in and turn it off and go away. I probably would have gone outside.
Doyle (:Hmm interesting. Well, let's let's hope that you know, there's a deal in there for you somewhere at least soon
Brad Herda (:All right, or if you want to join the blue collar BS community and be part of this opportunity to grow, learn and be inspired, that would help too. So check out the website for what's going on here. Office hours, Mondays and Fridays, one-on-one opportunities, Mondays and Wednesdays. You're correct. Yeah, you're correct. Wednesdays are your calendar. Yep.
Doyle (:Mm hmm. Absolutely.
Doyle (:Mondays and Wednesdays.
Yeah,
Brad Herda (:Mondays and what Monday morning, Wednesday afternoon and some one on one time with with you and I and. Check out the website. Let us know we are always willing to support and bring bring people through the process and. Through the BS risk community to grow, learn and be better.
Doyle (:Yep.
Doyle (:Absolutely.
Mm-hmm. Absolutely. Well, thank you, sir, for the delightful banter about Black Friday.
Brad Herda (:Black Friday, right? mean, it's Black Friday. No one's gonna listen to the show on Black Friday anyhow. So let's just be honest. It's like the Fourth of July show. Let's just be honest.
Doyle (:thank you. Thank you for the thank you for the tens of people that did listen.
Brad Herda (:Correct. I think we're closer to 20s now. We're closer to 20s, 20s of people. past, we've grown past 10s of people. We're into 20s of people. So have a great rest of your week, sir. And we'll talk soon. Thanks.
Doyle (:I
Doyle (:of people.
Doyle (:All right, you do the same.
