Pie is cooling down, presents are waiting, and snow is falling. Press pause on the holidays; it’s time to shop.
After having prepared Thanksgiving dinner for days, many choose to end the festivities early in order to make it to their favorite stores and save money on Black Friday sales items.
Black Friday sales often begin on the evening of Thanksgiving Thursday and have been known to attract mile-long lines as shoppers wait patiently to get into a store.
However, when the crowds finally enter the stores, manners stay outside.
Fights over sweaters and even full-out brawls over a pair of shoes are not uncommon sights in Black Friday sales rooms.
Many believe that these fights are often due to the way the deals are portrayed in advertisements, as if they can only be applied to a sale in the early hours of the morning.
Eleventh-grader Casey Felton said, “Black Friday is a huge chance for companies to bait people into their stores. They tell people that they’re saving lots of money on this great deal by waking up early or going during Thanksgiving, but the deal doesn’t even exist. People get excited because they deceive themselves by believing the ads and then leave their families on a holiday for no reason.”
In the midst of the sales and the fights on Black Friday, many shoppers forget what Thanksgiving and the holiday season stand for in American culture.
“My family always gets together on Thanksgiving to celebrate and give thanks for everything and everyone that we love,” said Natalia Chavez, a junior. “Sometimes, my cousins will leave in the middle of the dinner to go shopping. That doesn’t really make me feel like family is important to them.”
The reasoning behind the broken up family celebrations is simply that people will go shopping that early, as long as there are deals.
According to CNN, Wal-Mart CEO Bill Simon said, “We’re a service industry. If the traffic of past years is any indication, people clearly want to shop on Thursday evening and we’ll provide that for them.”
Leaving family gatherings to go Black Friday shopping may not always be worth it.
The seemingly low prices and high discounts are an illusion.
According to The Guardian, to get the most successful deals on Black Friday, shoppers should know the original price before the sale.
Many Carlmont students find that the idea of having Black Friday sales, and all the fights that they bring with them, the day after and even during Thanksgiving brings a sense of irony to the holiday season.
“I find it ironic and hypocritical that Americans emphasize how the holidays are a time to give thanks and kindness. Yet, on Black Friday, people all over America go crazy and fight for deals that only serve their selfish needs,” said freshman Rachel.Amir Chatman.
Other students believe that Black Friday should not even be compared to the holidays because of the vast differences between the meanings of the events in American culture.
“Black Friday shouldn’t be considered part of the holidays because it enforces a violent mindset and propels selfishness as well as self-satisfaction,” said senior Jonathan Li. “The holidays, on the other hand are completely different and encourage the spread of kindness.”
Despite the many people that believe that Black Friday undermines the holiday spirit, some still believe that people should choose whichever option is more important to them.
Felton said, “In my opinion, people camping out in front of the store instead of being with their families are tricking themselves out of fun holiday time. But, if getting a discounted price is more important to you, then do what you want to do. It’s your free time and no one has the right to decide what you do with it.”
The Highlander, December 2016
After having prepared Thanksgiving dinner for days, many choose to end the festivities early in order to make it to their favorite stores and save money on Black Friday sales items.
Black Friday sales often begin on the evening of Thanksgiving Thursday and have been known to attract mile-long lines as shoppers wait patiently to get into a store.
However, when the crowds finally enter the stores, manners stay outside.
Fights over sweaters and even full-out brawls over a pair of shoes are not uncommon sights in Black Friday sales rooms.
Many believe that these fights are often due to the way the deals are portrayed in advertisements, as if they can only be applied to a sale in the early hours of the morning.
Eleventh-grader Casey Felton said, “Black Friday is a huge chance for companies to bait people into their stores. They tell people that they’re saving lots of money on this great deal by waking up early or going during Thanksgiving, but the deal doesn’t even exist. People get excited because they deceive themselves by believing the ads and then leave their families on a holiday for no reason.”
In the midst of the sales and the fights on Black Friday, many shoppers forget what Thanksgiving and the holiday season stand for in American culture.
“My family always gets together on Thanksgiving to celebrate and give thanks for everything and everyone that we love,” said Natalia Chavez, a junior. “Sometimes, my cousins will leave in the middle of the dinner to go shopping. That doesn’t really make me feel like family is important to them.”
The reasoning behind the broken up family celebrations is simply that people will go shopping that early, as long as there are deals.
According to CNN, Wal-Mart CEO Bill Simon said, “We’re a service industry. If the traffic of past years is any indication, people clearly want to shop on Thursday evening and we’ll provide that for them.”
Leaving family gatherings to go Black Friday shopping may not always be worth it.
The seemingly low prices and high discounts are an illusion.
According to The Guardian, to get the most successful deals on Black Friday, shoppers should know the original price before the sale.
Many Carlmont students find that the idea of having Black Friday sales, and all the fights that they bring with them, the day after and even during Thanksgiving brings a sense of irony to the holiday season.
“I find it ironic and hypocritical that Americans emphasize how the holidays are a time to give thanks and kindness. Yet, on Black Friday, people all over America go crazy and fight for deals that only serve their selfish needs,” said freshman Rachel.Amir Chatman.
Other students believe that Black Friday should not even be compared to the holidays because of the vast differences between the meanings of the events in American culture.
“Black Friday shouldn’t be considered part of the holidays because it enforces a violent mindset and propels selfishness as well as self-satisfaction,” said senior Jonathan Li. “The holidays, on the other hand are completely different and encourage the spread of kindness.”
Despite the many people that believe that Black Friday undermines the holiday spirit, some still believe that people should choose whichever option is more important to them.
Felton said, “In my opinion, people camping out in front of the store instead of being with their families are tricking themselves out of fun holiday time. But, if getting a discounted price is more important to you, then do what you want to do. It’s your free time and no one has the right to decide what you do with it.”
The Highlander, December 2016