Black friday starting times are nothing to complain about

Samalya Thenuwara

Feature Editor, Feature Producer

Black Friday a day of the year unlike any other. A day where people across the country come together to take part in the same sport. Whether you come out to shop competitively or to just watch the frenzied spectacle, one thing is for certain: it’s a good ol’ American tradition.

Despite its noteworthy place as a fall festivity, Black Friday has been criticized for starting too early in recent years. Some stores open Black Friday deals as early as 5 P.M. on Thursday. Thursday, for those who are not aware, is Thanksgiving. Many argue that Black Friday has begun to interfere with the quality time spent with family during Thanksgiving.

That’s not quite right. No one said you have to be at a store at whatever time they open. You choose to be there.

People really shouldn’t blame Black Friday just because their desire to shop is stronger than their willpower to sit through a nice family meal. If you want to spend time with family, then you should just stay home. If you don’t want to, , that’s a “you problem”.

Also, for some, Black Friday might  be even more enjoyable than Thanksgiving. Family is great but there’s only so much time you can and should spend with them. But shoes? There is no limit on time you can and should spend with them. Hyperboles aside, stores open early for a reason. First of all, stores wouldn’t open early if no one showed up. But the point is that people- a lot of people- do show up. Just the fact that stores open early is proof enough that people love to shop. So if people love to shop, there is no harm in extending a holiday dedicated to shopping.

For readers crestfallen over choosing family or boots, there are ways to work around Black Thur — I mean Friday. For the best of both worlds, take your family Black Friday shopping. Nothing brings family closer together than sifting through sale items. Go ahead and take Thanksgiving food in ziplocks for mid-scavenging snacks. If that sounds ridiculous, just wait for Cyber Monday.

Stop it

Mason Wang

Videographer, Web Developer

“Nobody says you have to be at a store at whatever time they open”? What about your boss?

On the same day as being grateful and celebrating they have, those fortunate enough to have Thanksgiving and Black Friday off waste a ton of money on impulse purchases. 

Black Friday exists because shoppers enjoy pushing other people around, being part of a large crowd, participating in a mob, noise, and violence. That becomes much worse when shoppers are filled with food and have the energy to be violent. It’s much less fun to try and get a free snow globe by pushing through a bunch of people at 5 in the morning.

Why should we expand such a violent tradition into our Thanksgiving? Nine people are dead because of Black Friday. An LA woman pepper sprayed 20 people to get a better deal on an Xbox.

Jdimytai Damour came to America from Jamaica as a maintenance worker. At 34 years old, He worked at Walmart. Five hours after Thanksgiving ended, 2,000 Walmart shoppers were getting impatient – they began to bang on the doors, and the glass began to gave way. They flooded in, and pushed and trampled the Walmart employees, leading to the painful death of Damour. His body became a stepping bag for the shoppers. The police attempted to perform CPR on him, but failed because they were trampled by consumers trying to save a buck on a blender. Damour died an hour later.

And whether they want to be a part of it or not, employees will have to take time out of Thanksgiving to deal with these crazy people. Unless you’re a police officer, a fireman, or a paramedic, you should take Black Friday off.