Corner Post editorial —
Is 'Black Friday' getting too dark?

by Shannon Yokley, posted Dec. 14, 2011

The holiday season is filled with cheer, family and of course, giving. However, does the holiday season justify the reason for Black Friday?

Black Friday is always the Friday after Thanksgiving. Many stores have incredible sales and open during the wee hours of the morning or stay open late for bargain shoppers. Customers wait in long lines for their favorite stores to open, just to get that deal they’ve been waiting for all year.

Some feel the Christmas season would not be as exciting without the big sales, the bargains, and the raging customers fighting for the perfect deal for their dollar.

Every year, the media makes sure you know what deals are available. Stores spend millions of dollars in advertising in order to sell their products.

According to shop.com, almost 85 percent of retailers sent an email to their customers about Black Friday deals, which is up from the 80 percent last year. Also, Nearly three-quarters of retailers used their Facebook page to reach out to shoppers, up from the 57.1 percent last year. However, only half of retailers used their website's homepage to promote their Black Friday deals. The Sunday paper before Black Friday is always packed with ads and brochures.

 “At Sam’s Club, we do lots of things to promote our products for Black Friday such as handing out flyers, giving out promotional deals, and running ads in the Sunday Paper,” said Lauren Kliethermes, Sam’s Club employee.

According to the National Retail Federation, as many as 152 million people shopped on Black Friday weekend, which is up 10 percent from last year and the biggest expected turnout ever. Americans spent $11.4 billion on Black Friday and $52.4 billion over the Black Friday weekend. Do the great deals justify having the big item even though you cannot afford it? According to Steadfastfinances.com, about 76 percent of Americans have some form of debt. Forty percent of American families are in debt about $50,000. These statistics make me think of the toll it is taking on customers.

Not only does it take an economic toll on customers, it violence often errupts as people fight to be the first in line for an item. Many events occurred this year such as human stampedes, people being pepper sprayed, and even arrests. It’s sad to watch many people get too caught up in the spirit of giving to forget their manners on this occasion.

“I love Black Friday,” said Victoria Green, avid shopper. “I will go out of my way to get the good deal, but some people are just too aggressive.”

This is a tradition many people enjoy, however, it is hard to keep this tradition around when our nation is suffering from a recession and many people are in debt. I question why the government still allows this major day of deals and how people still fall for all the ads promise, even when consumers can’t afford the products.

“I have customers who grocery shop while shopping on black Friday,” Kliethermes said. “I find it hard to believe they will use a EBT card for their groceries while they pay out of their pocket for high ticket items.”

Our nation may need to reconsider what Black Friday is about. Yes, it is about deals that only come once a year. You could also say it is about the giving spirit. I think with our nation’s economic status, customers should be more frugal with their dollar.

“If it’s a good deal, I don’t mind buying it,” Green said. “It makes the day much more of a challenge and much more of a reward when you think of all you went through for your items.”

As Christmas comes around the corner, people continuously buy more items for gifts and decorations. According to thestreet.com 28 percent of Americans believe the best holiday deals start on Black Friday.  Although it may not be good for their wallets, it makes the Christmas season more heartfelt for consumers.

“The Christmas season sure hits home for all our customers,” Kliethermes said. “We spend a lot of time decorating prior to the holidays in order to put people in Christmas’s buying season.”

Black Friday is an event nationwide that has even spread to other nations such as Canada, Japan and Afghanistan. Even a remake of Rebecca Black’s “Friday” has been changed to suit the holiday.

Many stores and customers tend to get a little extreme for Black Friday shopping. I think it is time we ask, are the million dollar ads and the intense shopping stampedes worth all the trouble for a few good deals? Is it worth being injured or falling into debt for?

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