Let’s face it: readers of this blog, or their loved ones, or their friends, or their friends of friends of friends, have no doubt participated in the modern American tradition known as “Black Friday”. For anyone out there who wants to feign his or her innocence, Black Friday starts pretty much the moment after Thanksgiving Dinner. Millions upon millions of American consumers take to the damp, dark, and icy roads of this nation, barreling off to their nearest mall, superstore, and/or department store. Once there, they set up camp and wait in the cold until the moment arrives when the store doors open (usually around midnight) and they all come trampling indoors like a herd of stampeding cattle (cattle armed with credit cards) to take advantage of “one weekend sales deals” offered by big box retailers.
Like it or not, Black Friday has become as American as apple pie, Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and, well, um… Thanksgiving. It’s big business in the biggest sense of the term: in 2011, an estimated 226 million shoppers visited stores, or websites, or both during the 4-day sales event, racking up an average bill of $398.62 per person. Now if that isn’t a boost to the private sector economy, we’re not exactly sure what is.
Speaking of the private sector, as you scramble down the aisles of your local department store to wrangle with your neighbor over that new set of lawn furniture, take a moment (if you’re capable) and consider that you might well be looking at some of New Process Fibre’s own handiwork. Our standard and custom discs, gaskets, insulators, spacers, tags, and washers can all be found in many of the leading brands of furniture, power tools, lawn equipment, faucets, plumbing, and maritime applications. Trust us when we say that even if you manage to get yourself trampled in the human stampede, our handiwork is built to last. It’s just a matter of getting safely home to enjoy your quality purchase.
Ok, enough already. For all of you who are out there itching to go: happy Black Friday, America. Be safe, play fair, buy American, and enjoy the quality of your new New Process Fibre precision-made parts.