Black Friday: The Alternatives

Let's try to imagine that there's someone out there in the world—you, perhaps—who doesn't relish the idea of the full-on retail scrum you're likely to face if you venture out to Shopping Land today.

Turns out you have plenty of company, and lots of folks looking for alternative to Black Friday Madness. A few of them:

Plaid Friday
Oakland's own local-business-centric holiday-shopping campaign. (Is it going nationwide? Check out the Plaid Friday blog.)

Get Out: The Weekend Escape Edition (NBC Bay Area)
Focus on outdoor stuff while everyone else is indoors.

Your Black Friday Alternatives in San Francisco (City's Best)
Maybe not entirely clear on the concept, since one of the suggestions is the Christmas tree lighting in Union Square. Scrum City, anyone?

College football (San Francisco Chronicle)
Hey, No. 1 Oregon is in action (vs. No. 21 Arizona) on the tube tonight. Stay home, bust open that big screen TV you bought for someone else, eat a half-dozen turkey sandwiches with all the trimmings, and get ready for the game (three other high-profile games are on the docket, too, including No. 3 Boise State vs. No. 19 Nevada).

7th Annual Mr. Potatohead Beauty Pageant (Oakland North)
Oakland North's "This Weekend in Oakland" calendar lists the Mr. Potatohead pageant—which we have a feeling is a must-see—and many other non-commercial activities, including a goat-milking demonstration.

3 Sane Alternatives to Black Friday (Care2.com)
Some generic "avoid Black Friday" ideas.

And if you're non-commercialism is of a more militant stripe— perhaps actual anti-commercialism—there's an event for you today, too. A "Buy Nothing Day" gathering right at the navel of the belly of the best in downtown San Francisco. And here's more on "Buy Nothing Day."