Black Friday first got its name sometime during the 1960s in Philadelphia, according to The Huffington Post. Police referred to it as Black Friday because of how chaotic their job was that day with all the traffic and crowds from retailers. It started as a derogatory name, which still aligns with its current chaotic nature.
I’ve only been Black Friday shopping once, and I won’t be doing it again. Don’t get me wrong—I love to shop. But, I hate to shop with crowds, and that’s all Black Friday is.
My first and only experience Black Friday shopping was a trip with my aunt to Toys “R” Us to see what all the commotion was; I didn’t even have a particular reason to shop. I thought it was interesting, and it might be fun.
But even when I was a child, what I thought would be enjoyable to watch was actually kind of sad. I remember standing in an aisle when I heard someone yell, “Watch out!” I looked around and saw someone had knocked a crib from way up on the top of an aisle and it came crashing to the ground right next to me. If I hadn’t noticed, it definitely could’ve landed on me.
After seeing several other encounters like this and people scrambling, gathering up everything they could to buy from the deals, we went to check out. It was a mess. There was no clear system with the checkout line, and the arrows they’d put on the ground weren’t helpful at all. A very ugly side of some of the people waiting came out when they got frustrated and impatient with the confusion.
That’s why I have zero interest in going Black Friday shopping. If you are interested in getting the latest gadget or the best deal, it makes more sense to stay in and look online curled up by a fire and eating Thanksgiving leftovers or enjoying hot chocolate with your family and friends.
If you’re shopping online, US News reports most retailers post their deals on social media pages. If you follow the accounts of stores you like to shop at, it’s a good way to see the online deals they have. Or, wait for Cyber Monday for the deals, which is the Monday after Black Friday.
According to Time Magazine, Macy’s announced recently that it will be opening at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving. Kohl’s and Sears are doing the same thing.
“A number of stores, including Kmart, Kohl’s and Toys “R” Us, will also host marathon hours, with Kmart scheduled to stay open for 42 straight hours,” CNBC reported.
Think about the poor workers. Many Kmart employees have said they’re not even allowed to request off for Thanksgiving, according to Think Progress. That’s frankly despicable. Retail workers shouldn’t have to decide between spending a holiday that lasts one day or losing their job.
Black Friday retail workers even run the risk of getting hurt while working. The Occupational and Health Administration (OSHA) has to give safety guidelines to retailers to make sure workers aren’t put in harm’s way… from hordes of eager shoppers.
One segment of the guidelines states, “Prepare an emergency plan that addresses potential dangers facing workers, including overcrowding, crowd crushing, being struck by the crowd, violent acts and fire.” But this isn’t unwarranted, as people—as you’ve probably heard in years past—have actually died on Black Friday.
US News has a list called “10 violent Black Friday shopping injuries, deaths.” One says, “In 2008, a mob of unruly shoppers broke down the doors and trampled a temporary Wal-Mart worker and two shoppers to death on Black Friday in Valley Stream, N.Y.” There are other cases when frustrated Black Friday shoppers have fought over items. In one case, one shopper brought a gun into a store and one frustrated woman even attacked another with pepper spray about who would walk away with a brand new Xbox.
Do those Black Friday deals still sound appealing?
