Black Friday has passed again and with it comes the negative comments about the controversial date. Many people say that it’s just a day for promoting the consumerism society and helping the massive companies to keep controlling the market. Also, we can’t forget about all the comments regarding Black Friday’s ability to limit the family bonding time. I can believe in some of those comments, however, for me Black Friday is more than that.
In November 2011 was my first Black Friday. My mother, sister and I woke up at 3 AM to arrive at the stores at four. When I arrived at Walmart, it was a scenery incomparable to anything else, a long line made up of anxious people waiting to get their hands on their precious goal. When the doors opened, the stampede of people ran over the gate, employees and they even broke the store’s door.
When entering the store you could see people running and shoving everyone to get that TV they want. It may seem that Black Friday brings the worst in people, sometimes it does, and at first I was just wondering why these people were acting like animals but the exhilaration experienced at the moment makes you act like every person you criticized before. Before you now it, you will find yourself kneeling at the floor and searching furiously for that $2 movie.
That first experience just led me to continue going every year with my family. I know it may seem materialistic but Black Friday for me it’s not only about the sales and all the shopping I’ll do. It’s about the bonding time with my mother and sister.
Usually, my mother, sister and I never have anything in common. I would not invite my mother to a feminist lecture or my sister to La Tertulia. However, Black Friday has given me the chance to a share a common like between us. Even though we don’t buy much, we enjoy the journey of waking up early, having breakfast after shopping for movies and searching through the pile of clothes for something worth. It’s a time where we are enjoying both the experience and each other company.
Black Friday may seem like the bad wolf of holidays, but for me it’s a tradition.