Thanksgiving is finally here, and we can finally take a break from classes, head back home, spend time with our loved ones, eat until we can’t physically move, and shop till we drop (literally).
Thanksgiving means food, family, and friends, but over the years it has also started to mean shopping, and by shopping I mean crazy, hectic, scary shopping.
Black Friday has always been around, but over the last few years it has exploded, and almost overshadows Thanksgiving now. Before, Black Friday would begin at a somewhat normal time on Friday, but now most places are opening up on Thanksgiving night, you know when people normally are eating dinner and giving thanks.
They might as well rename Thanksgiving into something like “Black Thanksgiving ThursFriday”. I love to shop just as much as the next person, but for me, Black Friday is definitely not worth it, and here’s why.
The deals aren’t even that good.
Unless you’ve been camped out of Best Buy for a week, and are first in line, you wont receive any crazy deals. It may seem so great in the advertising, but in reality it’s never that outstanding. Sure, you may get 20% off this, or 15% off that, but stores have that pretty regularly, it’s not like it’s only on this one day.
The lines and the people.
People are scary on Black Friday. They fight over items in the stores, and run around like mad men. Lines have hundreds of people just to even get in the store, and when you go to buy something the line is just as long. Prepare to spend two hours or more in just one store. I have even witnessed someone pass out from waiting in line for so long and getting dehydrated and too enclosed by so many people. Shopping may seem like a sport, but let’s take a step back people.
It sucks for anyone working retail.
You might think it’s great that you get to go on Thanksgiving night to stop at your favorite store, but think about those working on Thanksgiving night. They have families too, and want to be able to be home with them, yet they have to instead work because you just need to get something on sale. Working on Thanksgiving has never been the norm, yet now it’s becoming one.
And last but not least, why would anyone want to go try on clothing after eating a huge Thanksgiving meal? Just some food for thought…
Pro tip: Wait for Cyber Monday instead of attending Black Friday.
Happy Thanksgiving!