The Great Black Friday Debate

I’ve seen so many social media posts lately where people are hating on retailers who are starting their holiday sales on Thanksgiving Day. And on the other end of the spectrum, some are bragging that they won’t be open till Friday.

I have mixed feelings about this, but for the most part, I think it’s wrong to blame the stores for this trend. They woudn’t be open on a holiday if nobody showed up to shop. The blame falls squarely on the shoulders of shoppers who would rather be getting some deals than spending a leisurely day at home. Yes, I’m looking at you, people who are camped out in front of Best Buy AT THIS MOMENT! If greed is to blame, it’s the greed of folks like this, not the stores. They’re going to make their money, regardless of which day the sale is. And really, does anybody need a big screen tv that badly?!

Then again, there are people in this country who don’t celebrate the holiday, or who have no family or friends to spend the day with. Why shouldn’t they shop if that’s what they want to do? And in my family, we have our big meal at lunchtime. I would never skip out on family time to go to any sale. But afterwards, when the kids are parked in front of the computers & the husband is asleep on the couch, how would I choose to spend the rest of a dull day? Doing the dishes or shopping? Lol, not much of a hard choice there!

I’ll never diss shopping. It’s my favorite thing in the world. I do think that moving all the sales to Thanksgiving Day takes away from the fun & tradition that used to be Black Friday though, & that’s a shame.

And I do feel bad for anyone who is forced to work the holiday if they don’t choose to. I would hope most employers have a heart & try to make sure that doesn’t happen. Let’s not forget, many people are happy to work because they don’t celebrate or count on the extra holiday pay to help make the season better for their own families.

I don’t get out for the early bird sales much, because there is rarely anything I need enough to make all the madness & chaos worthwhile. More than once when I have tried it, I’ve had nightmare experiences & sworn “never again!” You can generally get deals just as good or better if you wait & shop around. But some people just enjoy the thrill of the madness, I guess. More power to ’em. You couldn’t pay me a million dollars to set foot in a Walmart that weekend. But I hope plenty of people do, because my son works there. And while I hope he does get to enjoy lunch with the family, I am just grateful he finally found a job.

So tell me, where do you weigh in on this great debate?