By Arminda Aparicio (J-101 Staff Writer)
Black Friday is an event we shouldn’t be thankful for. Black Friday has varying stories behind its history, but the one that we know is the idea of it as a retail holiday.
As Thanksgiving approaches, we begin to reflect on our lives and think about what we are thankful for.
In my family, Thanksgiving was a day to spend with each other being grateful for what we have.
Recently Black Friday seems to take all the attention. I always get asked the same question: “Are you going Black Friday shopping?”
This so-called retail holiday has ruined the idea of togetherness that surrounds Thanksgiving.
Black Friday was a day created after the Thanksgiving holiday to help record the losses retail stores had.
They believed that the consumers would spend money on discounted merchandise and their losses would turn into profits.
More recently, department stores started their sales on Thanksgiving Day with stores openimg as early as 6 p.m.
People camp outside of department stores a week ahead of the actual day.
Meaning that they do not even spend the day with their family. Instead they spend it with complete strangers who are waiting in a line like they are.
When it is time for the sale, people have to rush in to get what they want before it sells out.
People are savages when it comes to buying things they want. Every year, we hear horror stories of people getting into fights and others getting pepper sprayed, for one day of sales.
Instead of participating in that, my family would all come together for dinner and spend all night sharing what we are grateful for and telling stories around the fire.
Some people even spend time with their friends having dinner.
As I grew older, I got the idea that Thanksgiving was not about that anymore.
The Thanksgiving holiday became more materialistic because of Black Friday.
This day made up to trick consumers into thinking they are getting deals at their favorite stores.
When you really think about it, do the sales after Thanksgiving really increase profits for stores?
I would think that around the Christmas holiday, stores would benefit from shoppers.
They are, after all, spending money to buy gifts for all their loved ones– and lets not forget the secret santa shoppers.
We should all spend our Thanksgiving day being grateful for what we have in life and the people we are surrounded by.