As soon as Thanksgiving is over, one of the most hectic nights for stores occurs: Black Friday. Black Friday is the night after Thanksgiving where shoppers race to stores to get the best “deals” for the next upcoming holidays. The question: Is Black Friday shopping really worth it? 

People used to line up outside of stores the night of Thanksgiving awaiting the “deals” they will find inside, trying to get their Christmas shopping done as soon as possible for the best prices. Stores are flooded with hungry and needy customers hunting for the hottest items to give to their loved ones in a month’s time. 

Jennifer Greeson, a marketing and advertising teacher at Carolina Forest High School, reminisced on a time that she went Black Friday shopping around ten years ago. 

“I remember standing outside of Target, and the line was wrapped around the building. They had a limit of how many customers could be in the store at once, so we ended up waiting about an hour and a half to get in,” Greeson explained. 

Stores capitalize on the “deals” that customers will receive, such as discounted prices and early access to the newest toys or electronics on the shelf. The latest iPhone or the “best” new action figure will appear to be at a lower price to make shoppers buy it. However, are these “deals” really worth all the havoc many people and businesses experience? 

According to Consumer Reports, while Black Friday shopping can have its benefits, “you may have more luck and more options by shopping from your phone or computer.”

This year, many stores held their Black Friday deals for close to a week, as well as participating in Cyber Monday. Stores like Nike had lines around their store during the entire weekend for a 20% discount that customers could also receive the same amount by just signing up as a member. 

Websites like Shein offered discounts, as well as free shipping for the weekend and up to 90% off for their Cyber Monday deal. 

While some see Black Friday as a way of getting good deals and their shopping completed, this year feelings have changed. Both parents and students that participated had mixed feelings about their time and whether or not they will continue the tradition next year.

Senior Ethan Incorvia regretted his Black Friday shopping experience because of how little he seemed to benefit from the tiresome exhibition. 

“We got up at like 5 am and shopped until almost 12 pm. I only got three things because everything was either sold out or the line was too long,” Incorvia shared. 

Casey Brooks, a junior, also shared her Black Friday experience and had a little bit of a more positive reaction. 

“I got a good bit of clothes, but I believe the deals were mediocre compared to what I was expecting.” 

Even though many people this year were not pleased with the “deals” for Black Friday, I don’t think the tradition will ever die out. Slowly, I believe people will shift more and more to online deals each year, but I think there will still be people who get up at 6 am to get in line outside of stores.

Picture Credits from Google