For many years now, there has been a movement to encourage the populace to stop shopping for those deep discounts and deals on the busiest shopping day of the year, Black Friday.

I've been curious where the idea came from, figuring it was some sort of anti-capitalist political movement, but I was wrong. Turns out, it's a collective of people that work in retail that would also enjoy having the day after Thanksgiving off.

Before you hop on some rant about "$15 an hour" this and "Get a better job" that, people that have never worked in retail just can't relate. If you think about it hard enough though, there's a little empathy to flow there. Imagine not having the day after Thanksgiving as one of your standard holidays off. Drive to have the family meal, eat that huge meal, then drive all the way back home that same day, early to bed so you can be at work ready to open doors at 4AM the next day.

Just as the overreaching business closures in Lawton taught us in 2020, retail workers are essential employees we just can't do without.

I have a sister that works in retail. In fact, both she and her husband work in retail. Each year when the holidays roll around, we only get one day actually together as a family. I'm lucky enough to get a four-day weekend, but they only get the one day and it sucks. I've never been to a Black Friday shopping event, but even if I did, I'd gladly give it up to have more family time, bickering and everything.

Besides that, while you may score a good deal, the real winners are the retailers. They've managed to convince people to compete with each other in a game of "How Fast Can We Give Money To This Company..." You can disagree with me on that, but it's marketing 101... Don't give people a good deal, give people the feeling they're getting a good deal.

While this "movement" has been around for a few years now, 2021 might just be the perfect year to make it happen. Most retailers have already released their Black Friday ads, and due to a year and a half-ish of pandemic plus the insane supply chain issues globally, nobody seems to have those deep discount deals on stuff you'd actually want this year. Honestly, who's going to stand in line to score a limited supply of $30 slow-cookers? I'd rather just pay the extra nine dollars and keep to my own schedule.

Sure, there are a (very) few electronics deals out there, but TV's and appliances are so cheap these days, those advertised deals aren't anything to get excited about.

It's a wonder why this traditional shopping day hasn't just moved everything online at this point, especially after last year. This way everyone wins. People get their deals on cheap stuff, businesses make their profit margins on that ultra-cheap stuff, and our fellow countrymen get an additional and traditional day off work. It's a win-win.

Give it some thought.

Happy 40th Anniversary to Massad's Gift Shop in Lawton!

Congratulations to Massad's Gift Shop for being in business for 40 years! They're located in the heart of beautiful downtown Lawton, Fort Sill at 413 S.W. C Avenue across from the Central Mall. Massad's has been voted the #1 gift shop in Lawton, Fort Sill again and again. It's not just all the incredible products they have either, it's the awesome customer service and how helpful and friendly the entire staff is. Massad's Gift Shop is locally owned and operated by Larry and Blanche Massad who are brother and sister. They're some of the friendliest, nicest people you'll ever meet. They really care about all their customers, which they call friends and family. Take a virtual tour of Massad's Gift Shop, scroll through the photos below:

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Tour the most expensive house for sale in Oklahoma!

It's being called the most premier luxury listing in all of Oklahoma on Zillow.com. This massive mansion in Arcadia, OK. at 400 Deep Fork Circle is listed by Ty Burnett of 525 Realty Group. It currently has an asking price of $5,950,000 making it the most expensive, if not one of the most expensive houses for sale in the entire state. So what will almost six million dollars get you? A lot! This epic 12,020 square foot estate sits on over 2.5 acres and features 7 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms. It comes with its own guest house, resort infinity pool, cabana, and gym. The chef-inspired kitchen features all professional, commercial-grade appliances. There's a THX theater room and entertainment suite complete with its own bar. The master bedroom has a see-through fireplace, huge celebrity-style closets a garden room, and heated marble floors in the master bath. It has a basement a wine cellar and tons of outdoor patio and sitting areas. Scroll through all the pictures below and take a virtual tour of this one-of-a-kind epic estate located in Arcadia, OK.

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