It's not just you: Black Friday creep is real, and it's everywhere

Stop the madness

An Easter basket.
(Image credit: Illustrated | jenifoto/iStock, MicrovOne/iStock)

I got my first email containing the words "Black Friday" in April. "Black Friday was a bit of a disaster for us (unsure why we expected otherwise) and we said we'd make it up to you in the near future," wrote the cult beauty brand Deciem, whose 2018 Black Friday sale entirely sold out before Thanksgiving Day was even over. The apologetic notice was being sent to customers in promotion of ... another sale.

I love a good deal just like anybody else, but the words "Black Friday" have become increasingly meaningless. Today is Nov. 20 — still over a week out from this year's later-than-usual Black Friday — and I'm inundated with emails announcing sales. Fabletics, a popular subscription activewear retailer, has emailed me every day since Nov. 13 to promote their "Black Friday Month" savings.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.