As the holidays approach once more, we’ve all been instilled with the infamous day of bargains: Black Friday. Sadly, this year seemed to mirror the effects of the recession.

I work at Bed, Bath & Beyond, a huge home and living department store. My register sits in the very front, and I get to see all the action up front and personal. Whether it’s a slow day or a hectic one, I witness it all.

Anyone who has ever been to Bed, Bath & Beyond knows that those 20 percent off coupons are crucial, because you save on big-ticket items.

Knowing that, some of our employees stood in the front of the store handing out “twenty percent off your entire purchase” coupons. Unfortunately, our attempts at luring in people for the big day had little results.

No one lined up, camped out or even trampled each other for bargains. The day was awfully slow. There was more business the day before Thanksgiving, when people eagerly stood in line and stressed us all with massive amounts of items, in hopes to impress their visiting relatives with fancy décor and expensive AeroBed mattresses.

The day after Thanksgiving just brought in returns and complaints. The only people loading up on bargains were those who had their house burned down by the Tea Fire last year.

Early that morning however, I drove from LA to Santa Barbara. The 101 freeway was more stuffed than the previous day’s turkey.

By the time I reached Camarillo, an overflow parking lot was all I saw, and honking and screaming is all I heard. People camped out a day early in hopes of receiving the best prices.

Time Magazine reported that, “retail sales were encouraging.” That might have been true, since extra security was brought into the Camarillo Outlets to contain the masses of people taking advantage of the sales.

Others report great sales for big chain stores like Walmart and an increase in Black Friday shopping as opposed to last year. Others express the unfortunate decrease in the economy since people didn’t spend quite as much as before.

Many hoped for this day would boost up the economy, but it seemed as if many people only bought the essentials.

At the register of Bed, Bath & Beyond, customers pondered the actual use of the item once they saw their grand total they then said, “Oh, you know what, take that off, I don’t really need it. Oh, and I have a coupon!”

Corporate America has relied on these types of days to ensure a hefty economy. American consumers had little to spend and big bargains to choose from, but a tight budget prevented many from spending. Some charged it, creating a bigger debt.

In retrospect, Black Friday has lost its thunder, maybe our recession is to blame. Whether you work at a Mom-and-Pop shop or Bed, Bath & Beyond, the effects of the economy were evident this past weekend. Perhaps next year will rake in bigger profits.