By Raegan Scharfetter/managing editor
As the air grows crisper and the sweet smells of holiday-scented candles fill the air, the best time of the year is finally upon us. And so is the worst – Black Friday.
Although many Americans believe Thanksgiving is a day to spend at home, many look forward to getting a head start on holiday shopping.
A trend began in 2010 where some retailers started their Black Friday sales on the night of Thanksgiving and stayed open all night. The trend has led to multiple retailers opening as early as noon on Thanksgiving Day.
However, Thanksgiving Day shoppers may be disappointed this year. Major stores including Costco, Guitar Center, H&M and 60-plus others opted to keep their doors closed on Thanksgiving Day this year, and some even the day after.
A survey conducted by BestBlackFriday.com found that of roughly 500 Americans in 2017, 57 percent of respondents didn’t like the idea of stores opening on Thanksgiving.
“Black Friday” got its name originally because it was the day retailers began to turn a profit or move from “the red” to “the black.” Since websites like Amazon provide year-round deals to those equivalent on Black Friday, the profit that retailers once earned had lowered over the years.
Unfortunately for thrill-seeking shoppers, not only is Black Friday losing its zest statistic-wise, it is also losing popularity because of how insane it has become.
In 2008, a Wal-Mart worker was killed in a Black Friday stampede. As the store doors prepared to open at 5 a.m., the employee was pushed to the ground and trampled as shoppers fought their way through the entrance.
The federal government has even created regulations for improving Black Friday because dozens of injuries occur each year from the crazed and eager crowds. Lines start farther from the door, and items that can be used as battering rams are removed.
Even though the trend seems to be ending, Black Friday shopping is not and will never be an excuse to leave one with bruises, sprained ankles, broken bones and concussions just because they took the last discounted smart TV.
Americans have become a little too consumed with, well, consumerism.
Thanksgiving, the holiday meant for celebrating what we are thankful for, should not take a back seat to what new, popular toy we can get our greedy hands on.
