Black Friday has always struck me as odd. I agree wholeheartedly with the popular statement circulating in the political cartoon circuit: Only in the United States can you leave your meal designed specifically geared toward giving thanks for what you already have to stand in line in the cold to obtain more material goods.
Until this year, I had never ventured out to shop during one of the busiest purchasing days of the year. However, this year I decided to see what all the hype was about. I was genuinely curious to experience firsthand the unruly mobs seen on TV, all in the name of discounts.
Was it worth it? Definitely not.
At sunrise at the mall in my hometown of Wilmington, the line to get into Forever21 stretched far out of the doors with people anxiously pushing themselves into each other to get first crack at the piles of cheaply made sweaters and tops stacked haphazardly onto the front table. Within a matter of seconds, the table was a mess and any hope of finding a sweater in an orderly fashion evaporated.
It seemed absolutely ridiculous to me after spending more than a few minutes in the store that anyone would line up first thing in the morning for stores such as Forever21. It’s no secret that its clothing is cheaply manufactured in less than ideal conditions, but the store’s Black Friday deals can hardly be considered such. It’s a cheap store as it is, and the items I paid for I am certain were about the same price I would have paid for them during any other day of the year.
What bothered me the most about my Black Friday experience was that I didn’t even think about buying gifts for my friends and family until almost the end of my shopping trip. I did make purchases I am satisfied with at fairly good prices, but I certainly didn’t make presents a priority.
Black Friday is designed to appeal to our individual needs. I am sure there are many others who utilize Black Friday to purchase gifts for others during the holiday season, but by and large, I witnessed the vast majority of my fellow shoppers purchasing items for themselves. There isn’t anything technically wrong with this, of course, but I personally would like advertisers to stop selling Black Friday as an opportunity to secure gifts at a good price when it seems to exist as an afterthought for most consumers.
Would I get up early for Black Friday again? I don’t believe so. Retailers made $1.2 billion in revenue through online sales, according to Bloomberg Online. More people are choosing to shop from their couches, which, at the very least, you can do in the presence of your relatives that you may or may not get along with — at least attempting to maintain some sort of family connection during the holidays.
