Skip the shopping frenzy with these 4 Black Friday alternatives

A shopper passes by window sign for Black Friday sales in a children's clothing store in an outlet mall on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, in Thornton, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

The Super Bowl of shopping. The all-American consumption blitz. The best of capitalism — or the absolute worst.

Whether you love it or hate it, Black Friday is here again, taking over our ads and inboxes with loud proclamations of deals and discounts.

And sure, you could argue that this old shopping standby is changing shape — no longer just a day but a whole long weekend with Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday. You could even call it Black November, with some seasonal sales having started days ago.