Black Friday used to feel like a national holiday, a national sport. Not officially, of course, but spiritually. People trained for it. Parents mapped out routes like generals. Friends pulled all-nighters on Thanksgiving just to stand in a parking lot together at 3 a.m. in hoodies and boots, buzzing with anticipation and unhealthy amounts of caffeine. The early morning lines, the chaotic energy, the thrill of walking out of a store with a bag full of things you absolutely did not need but absolutely justified because they were actually on sale for an amazing price was the reward. It was messy, loud, and kind of magical.
Now? Retailers mark everything down by ten to fifteen percent and call it a “doorbuster.”
The only thing being busted is my hope.
What Happened?
Somewhere between online shopping taking over and brands deciding that “exclusive savings” meant “two dollars off,” we lost the soul of Black Friday. The day used to be about real deals, the kind that people bragged about for months. Today, walking into a store between Thanksgiving and Christmas feels a little sad. The aisles are stocked, the music is cheerful, but the excitement is missing. And honestly, people are missing too. In-person shopping is slowly fading, and so is the sense of community that came with it.
The lines disappeared, and so did the serotonin.
Black Friday wasn’t just about shopping, as crazy as that sounds. Yes, the deals mattered, but the real joy was the shared experience. You bonded with strangers while shivering outside Target at 4 a.m. You swapped sale secrets with the mom next to you. You joked about whether the $90 flat-screen could fit in your car. You left feeling like you had participated in something bigger — a tradition, a ritual, a mildly unhinged celebration of consumer culture that everyone was in on.
We’ve lost the silly, fun, communal thrill of it all.
Retailers, Please: Give Us a Reason to Show Up
I fully believe that if stores brought back real deals, people would flock back instantly. College kids love two things: adventures and bargains. A good sale combines both. Imagine groups of GCU students piling into cars at dawn, blasting music, and documenting the whole thing on their phones because “Black Friday comeback era” sounds just cringey enough to be comedic.
But instead we get a sad “15 percent off — exclusions apply” or “buy one get one 25 percent off.” No one wants to leave their warm bed for that. Especially not after Thanksgiving dinner.
If brands want the energy back, they have to try.
Give us everything for half off. Give us exclusive in-store sales that beat the online prices. Give us a real doorbuster, something to brag about later!
Make Black Friday Great Again
Okay, maybe I’m being dramatic. But think about how rare it is now to share an experience with strangers that isn’t stressful or serious. Everything feels heavy, online, or both. A good, old-fashioned Black Friday rush might be the tiniest bit healing. Not because we need discounted blenders, but because we need little moments of harmless, joyful chaos.
Black Friday doesn’t have to be the chaotic circus it once was. But it could be fun again. It could be a reason to get out of the house. It could be a story people tell, like “remember when we waited outside Aritzia in Scottsdale at 4 a.m. and almost froze but walked out with the best deal of our lives?”
Maybe the world wouldn’t transform overnight. But if retailers brought back real sales, real excitement, and real reasons to show up, the world might feel just a little bit better.
And honestly? I think we all deserve that.