designer: Nathan Chow
Doors fly open as the lines of people waiting outside stream in. People and shopping carts pushing and running into each other. And all this chaos is just for a few sales.
Black Friday has been an American tradition since 1869, according to usatoday.com. This iconic holiday takes place the day after Thanksgiving and is the official kickoff to the Christmas shopping season.
While some families prefer to pay full price for products just to avoid the lines, there are a few who go all out. “I’ve been going Black Friday shopping since I was 11, so four years now,” sophomore Claire Jenkins said.
The most popular place on Black Friday for shoppers is the mall. While some stores do have notable sales, like Hollister which is offering 50 percent off store wide and Kohl’s which is offering their lowest prices of the season, others just use this day as an excuse to rope customers in.
With that in mind, there definitely are a few stores that have sales worth beating the crowds. A few of these are Macy’s, Kohl’s, Walmart, and Best Buy where Apple MacBooks are up to $150 off and customers can save $500 on Samsung TVs, according to investopedia.com.
“I definitely don’t think the sales are worth the hype. They are good, but so are the ones we have all year round. Since the general idea of Black Friday has been good sales, the pressure to go out and buy stuff is high,” junior Ava Cook said. Cook is employed at Aerie in the Polaris Mall.
While there probably are some stores that use this tactic, if someone does some digging they can find the ones that are truly worth going for.
“Usually, the sales will be online too so that’s always a good reason to shop if you don’t want to go into the crowds. And the deals last for a bit before and after Black Friday,” Jenkins said.
Since COVID-19, many people have switched to shopping online. Not only is it safer and easier for many people, but it can also be less stressful and more convenient. 43 percent of shoppers switched to online shopping in 2020 according to census.gov.
While Black Friday is enjoyable for most shoppers, the employees at these stores have very different opinions. “If I had the choice not to work, I wouldn’t, but we are required to work that day. It’s very stressful and working long hours in that condition is a lot,” Cook said.
Many of the workers at popular stores are very young and paid the same amount to work on stressful days like these. Stores are not required by law to pay their workers more for working holidays.
Some shoppers even feel the stress that can stem from days like Black Friday. “I would say the sales are worth the hype but also can be very overwhelming,” Jenkins said.
One way to avoid unnecessary stress on these days would be to have a plan of what stores to go to and figure out when they open and close. Having traditions to follow and shopping with friends are also fun ways to reduce stress.
“My favorite Black Friday tradition is probably getting up early with my dad and getting Starbucks before we start shopping,” Jenkins said. “I go shopping with my dad and one or two friends.”
Taking place on Friday, Nov. 25th, this year’s Black Friday will be just as crazy as in years past. Having a plan and people to go with will make your shopping experience both safer and more fun.
