Thanksgiving break is here, and annual traditions, like Black Friday, which this year falls on Nov. 29, are approaching.
Black Friday is the nickname given to the day after Thanksgiving, when most stores open early in the morning with “door buster” deals to kick off the Christmas shopping season.
However, with the Christmas season extending further into November, it begs the question: Do people still observe their Black Friday traditions?
According to the National Retail Federation, the amount of shoppers on Black Friday and the weekend following has been progressively growing. There were 247 million shoppers last year.
“I usually go shopping with my aunt and sister,” sophomore Lauren Dempster said. “We leave the house around midnight and are out for like four hours or so. It’s just kind of a tradition we started a couple of years back. I personally don’t like Black Friday, but I still go out on that day.”
In previous years, most stores opened around 5 a.m. This year, though, stores in many states are opening as early as Thanksgiving Day.
Retail stores in Massachusetts cannot open on Thanksgiving Day due to blue laws that prevent retail stores from making employees work on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
“I think Black Friday is starting to go overboard, and that we are all forgetting that the weekend is a time for giving thanks and being with family,” sophomore Lauren Hammer said. “Black Friday shoppers could be strengthening relationships with their family, but instead they’re wasting money on stuff their family might not even like. It’s really sad.”
If the crowds of Black Friday do not sound appealing, there is also Cyber Monday, which is the Monday following Black Friday. On Cyber Monday, websites give the same deals—or better—as those that were available on Black Friday, except shoppers can purchase their Christmas gifts from the comfort of their living rooms.
“I don’t go out on Black Friday ever,” junior Gabbie Borrero said. “I like Cyber Monday, because I don’t have to wait in line and there is more of a range to buy.”