Every year the event seems to grow bigger and bigger. The sale advertisements in the paper weigh more than the September issue of “Vogue.” I predict that within my lifetime “Black Friday” will become its own holiday.
This year the festivities began at 8 p.m. on Thursday night, barely enough time for people to finish digesting their turkey and dressing. I was glad to see that employees and some customers at stores, including Walmart, were outraged at stores opening up earlier and earlier, now encroaching on family time and football watching. Every year, Best Buy, Target, Toys “R” Us and Walmart are in competition to see who can open their doors first for the mad rush of customers trying to snatch the year’s hot-ticket gift item. First it was 6 a.m., then 4 a.m., then midnight, and now 8 p.m. Maybe we should just start calling it “Black Thursday” now.
A recent CareerBuilder survey found that approximately one in five workers celebrated Thanksgiving with their co-workers this year. Years ago towns would shut down, no cars would be on the roads and everyone not working in a hospital or for a hotel would be spending the day with their families. Now, businesses are more concerned about their bottom line than their employees.
I have never been a “Black Friday” shopper. The best I would ever do would be 10 a.m. shopping trips after a nice breakfast and cup of coffee. The thrill of a video game player or 40 in.-flat-screen television on sale has never prompted me to stand in line for five hours.
You joke about Christmas coming in July, but that is quickly becoming a reality. Christmas decorations are available at Hobby Lobby year-round and are displayed in other retailers at Halloween. Thanksgiving gets lost in the chaos of Christmas.
The popularity and take-over of Black Friday reflects our consumerism-driven culture. While a good portion of purchases made during the weekend after Thanksgiving are gifts for others, the rest are personal purchases. Who knows, maybe family time is now spent bundled up in front of Target instead of in a living room talking about what you are thankful for.
