Melissa Rosman, Copy Editor
Black Friday is a term with which most Americans are familiar. In a society surrounded by consumer opportunities, Black Friday is a day for people to wait in line for the best deals before the holidays. According to Blackfriday.com, the term “Black Friday” was coined in the 1960s and the naming came from the old accounting methods. “When accounting records were kept by hand, red ink indicated a loss, and black a profit.” Although the term was created in the 60s, the tradition has been around since the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade which kicks off the holiday season.
In the past stores have opened at midnight on the Friday after Thanksgiving for people to do their holiday shopping at a discounted price; however, each year the time becomes earlier. This year stores are beginning to open at 9 p.m. on November 22 (Thanksgiving Day), and are remaining open through Friday November 23. Toys ‘R’ Us is one store that has decided to open on Thanksgiving. Other stores such as Macy’s, Best Buy and Walmart are opening their doors at midnight. The times generally range from 9 p.m. Thanksgiving to 7 a.m. November 22 depending on the store. On campus and in the media there seems to be a controversy about stores opening on Thanksgiving night. Junior Emily Hillel says, “People should be spending more time with their families instead of shopping! And it’s not fair to the employees who are being forced to work Thanksgiving night.” On Facebook there are also comments on store pages disagreeing with opening on Thanksgiving night.
Many stores try to keep their advertisements a secret to the public but like anything else in the media, most advertisements are eventually leaked. This year, not many companies so far have experienced an ad being leaked early, although there is one company whose ad was released. Sprint is advertising a $49.99 Samsung Galaxy phone on Black Friday with a two-year contract. The phone is normally priced at $99.99 so Black Friday buyers will be getting a half-off deal. Due to the leaking in the past, many companies are offering a list of their top items for Black Friday. According to Blackfriday.com, Walmart and Target have announced that their “must have” toy of the season is the 2012 Furby, a toy regenerated from the early 2000s. Other websites such as Blackfriday.fm have published predictions for the most wanted sale items of 2012. These items include Apple TV, tablets, ultra-books and smartphones.
Black Friday has become a part of the American culture. It is a day where people can buy presents for the holidays at affordable prices. People are willing to camp out all night in front of stores to get the best deals of the season. Will you be one of them?
Leave a Reply