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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Hofstra chapter.

 

Whether you’re hoping to score some great presents for your family and friends or just want to treat yourself, Black Friday begins the holiday season with a bang. Prices are reduced, stores open extra early, and there are a ton of brand new products waiting to be bought. On paper (or computer screen), it sounds like retail heaven. What could be wrong with it? Actually, there are quite a few things that may convince you to skip out on the post-Thanksgiving madness this year. Read on for 5 reasons to skip Black Friday and save some serious hassle.

  1. The hours. Seriously, who wants to wake up before the sun and drag themselves through the cold just to stand in front of a store? Most of us struggle to get out of bed just to attend class, and class times are actually pretty reasonable. Plus, people camp outside big chain stores days and days in advance, so forcing your turkey-stuffed self out of bed at 3:00 am may barely give you an advantage at all.
  2. The crowds. Something about sales (and the holiday season overall) makes people lose their minds. Getting shoved, jostled, or having your prize yanked out of your hands by some sales-hungry fellow shopper is basically a given. Talk about stressful, and in the most generous season of the year!
  1. Online shopping. We’re not saints here. We still want to shop for holiday goodies, just in a better environment. And what’s nicer than sitting in front of your laptop in your PJs? Big brands have insane online sales from Black Friday all the way to Cyber Monday, so you can take your time and scan pages and pages of great deals (and read reviews before you commit!).
  2. Impulse buying. You might charge into a store with a shopping list firmly in hand, but that could easily turn into “ooh, look at the price on this product I’ll never actually use!” It is way too easy to get swept up.
  3. Big names only. One of the best parts about holiday shopping is finding the perfect, unique gift that was just made for that one friend or family member. This is near impossible to do with Black Friday sales, which slap cheap prices on big names. There’s no way you can buy an iPad or a laptop for every person on your list. And even if you could, would you really want to? It’s more fun to hunt down the perfect personalized gift.

The holiday shopping season is one of the craziest times of the year. Spend your Thanksgiving break with family and friends, be careful, and have fun!

 

Emily Windram

Hofstra '15

Emily Windram is a passionate writer with experience in personal and business branding, creative writing, and communications. She graduated from Hofstra in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing and History.
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Rachel is a senior at Hofstra University where she majors in journalism with minors in fine arts photography and creative writing. The Rochester, NY native is involved in several organizations on campus including the Hofstra chapters of Ed2010 and She's the First. She is also an RA in a freshman residence hall. Rachel has interned at College Lifestyles, Cosmopolitan, The Knot Magazine, and is now interning at Us Weekly. She hopes to someday fulfill her dreams of being an editor at a magazine. Until then, she is a dreamer, a wanderlust and a lover of haikus. Follow her on Twitter for silly and sarcastic tidbits @rcrocetti!