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Occupy protesters want shoppers to occupy something besides door-buster sales and crowded mall parking lots on Black Friday.

Some don't want people to shop at all. Others just want to divert shoppers from big chains and giant shopping malls to local mom-and-pops. And while the actions don't appear coordinated, they have similar themes: supporting small businesses while criticizing the day's dedication to conspicuous consumption and the shopping frenzy that fuels big corporations.

Nearly each one promises some kind of surprise action on the day after Thanksgiving, the traditional start of the holiday shopping season.

In Seattle, protesters are carpooling to Wal-Mart stores to protest with other Occupy groups from around Washington state. Washington, D.C., is offering a "really, really free market," where people can donate items they don't want so others can go gift shopping for free.

Others plan to hit the mall, but not for shopping. The 75-person encampment in Boise, Idaho, will send "consumer zombies" to wander around in silent protest of what they view as unnecessary spending. In Chicago, protesters will serenade shoppers with revamped Christmas carols about buying local. The Des Moines, Iowa, group plans flash mobs at three malls in an attempt to get people to think about what they're buying.

"We didn't want to guilt-trip people at a mall," said Occupy Des Moines organizer Ed Fallon. "We wanted to get at them in a playful, friendly way, to support local businesses." http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2011/11/23/occupy_protests_
shop_mom_and_pop_on_black_friday/

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•Economic Impact of Local Businesses vs. Chains
Studies have found that locally owned stores generate much greater benefits for the local economy than national chains.

•Retail Employment
These studies examine whether the arrival of a superstore increases or decreases the number of retail jobs in the region. {Hint: they decrease them. N.]

•Wages & Benefits
Studies have found that big-box retailers, particularly Wal-Mart, are depressing wages and benefits for retail employees.

•Existing Businesses
These studies look at how the arrival of a big-box retailer displaces sales at existing businesses, which must then downsize or close. This results in job losses and declining tax revenue, which some of these studies quantify.

•Poverty Rates
Counties that have gained Wal-Mart stores have fared worse in terms of family poverty rates, according to this study.

•Social and Civic Well-Being
This study found that Wal-Mart reduces a community's level of social capital, as measured by voter turnout and the number of active community organizations.

•City Costs
These studies compare the municipal tax benefits of big-box development with the cost of providing these stores with city services, such as road maintenance, police and fire—finding that cities do not always come out ahead.

•State Costs
Because many of their employees do not earn enough to make ends meet, states are reporting high costs associated with providing healthcare (Medicaid) and other public assistance to big-box employees.

•Subsidies
The expansion of big-box retailers has been financed in part by massive development subsidies and tax advantages provided by local and state governments. These studies document those subsidies and their failure to produce real economic benefits for communities.

•Consumers & Prices
Are chains better for consumers?

•Traffic
How do vehicle miles traveled and trips increase as a result of big box developments?

•Charitable Contributions
Small businesses donate about twice as much per employee to charitable organizations as large businesses, according to this study

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There is a psychological aspect to sales that even the thriftiest shoppers must learn to overcome. Here are three psychological ways that sales make a compelling case for consumers to buy, and how consumers can think about whether to buy something more logically. (The institutional sector offers an intellectual and financially rewarding alternative.

•Buy One, Get One Discounts

"Buy one, get one" promotions, also known as BOGO deals, offer varying discounts as long as items are purchased in groups of two. The phrase seems most attractive when followed by "free," but it frequently simply applies a 50% discount to the items purchased.

Buy one, get one discounts can be useful for products you frequently consume. However, the allure of a discount or receiving something "free" can persuade you to buy a greater quantity than you need.

•The Real Deal: If you have to spend, then you are not getting anything for free. Aside from requiring you to spend, the discount always applies to the item of equal or lesser value. So, in order to feel like you are saving the greatest amount of money, theoretically you should pick two items that are relatively expensive and have very close prices. Even though this scenario can save you the most, it can require you to spend the most. (Find out how average investors are breaking into what was once reserved for the ultra rich, in Hedge Funds Go Retail.)

•Setting the Limit

Some sale prices are valid only for a limited number of items purchased. For instance, a certain brand of cookies may be on sale with the words "Limit six items per customer" underneath the sale price. Without the mention of six, buying six bags at once probably would not have crossed the average person's mind.

•The Real Deal: Setting a limit can make customers feel as if they are not maximizing the discount unless they buy up to the limit. In this case, you should ask yourself if you really need six bags of cookies and if they were not on sale would you buy them anyway. This is particularly important when dealing with perishable food items. After all, what good is a sale if you end up buying something that spoils before you can consume it?

•Spend This Much, Save This Many Coupons

These coupons are frequently advertised with tag lines such as "the more money you spend, the more money you save." For example, a "spend $50 get $10 off" coupon would allow you to purchase $50 worth of products for $40, representing a 20% discount.

Some stores offer these discounts in staggered amounts, for example, the next increment from the previous example could likely be "spend $100, get $20 off." If you spend exactly $100, then the discount is still 20%.

•The Real Deal: The more money you spend, the more money you spend. In this case, the percentage discount maxes out at 20. The moment you cross over a $50 increment, the percentage discount actually decreases, until you reach the next increment. Reaching the next increment requires you to spend more money.

This could be a good deal if you were originally planning to visit the store and spend at least $50. However, if the coupon was your only motivation to go to the store, then you will not save a penny. (Learn to spot a rotten investment before you get seduced by its sweet promise of profit, in Are Structured Retail Products Too Good To Be True?) http://financialedge.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0410/Attention-Di
scount-Shoppers-Dont-Buy-Just-Because-Its-On-Sale.aspx#axzz1eZUNfiov

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Buying Stuff You Didn’t Originally Come To Get

If you stay too long in a certain store, especially a department store like Target and Walmart, you’ll get caught up in the frenzy of everyone grabbing stuff, and you’ll end up putting things in your cart that you don’t need and didn’t come for originally. I am so amazed at some of the stuff that people have in their cart on Black Friday. They just buy, because it’s on sale, regardless if they need it or not. Don’t fall into this trap.

Don’t get caught up in the frenzy

This dovetails off the last one. There’s a reason retailers love Black Friday; the hype and enthusiasm of the day causes a lot of people not to think straight. They buy crap they don’t want or need just because it’s a “deal.” If you’re an impulsive buyer or you fall to the temptation of overspending easily, then you should probably wait to do your shopping until the crowds die down after the weekend. http://www.moneycrashers.com/black-friday-deals-shopping-pitfalls-avoi
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