Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving when most stores have crazy good deals on almost everything. Since the 1960's this day was coined Black Friday because it was the day stores began to make large profits as the holiday season neared. In years past many people made Black Friday their official holiday shopping day. Shops would open early and eager shoppers would wait in lines that sometimes wrapped around the buildings. The policy was that typically the items on sale were at a first come first serve basis, so you had to be there first if you wanted the good stuff!

In recent years, the Black Friday sales have opened earlier and earlier. I was shocked to see this year an Ad that said Black Friday deals were starting at 4 p.m. on Thursday. Let me say this again, 4 p.m. on THURSDAY! On Thanksgiving? Are they serious?

Let me explain why this bothers me so much: first, 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving is when families should be gathered around the dinner table bonding over homemade roles and pecan pie, not standing in line at Macy’s just to get a scarf for $10 instead of $15. Are five dollars worth sacrificing precious time with family? Second: all of those poor retail workers are having to sacrifice their family time so that we can buy gifts for the holiday season. Sure, they might get Holiday pay, but down the road, time with family is always more valuable than money that is spent within a week or two.

I went Black Friday shopping early Friday morning this year, and I must say it was very different than years past. No long lines that wrap around the building, and most of the things I had my eyes on were still there by the time I got there. It was like regular shopping with better deals. As much as I would love Black Friday to stay that way, I think the cons outweigh the pros.

I read that many people are not going Black Friday shopping at all and will be buying most of their gifts online this year. Each year the number of online purchases increases largely around the holiday season. I know personally as my friends and I were flipping through the various shopping catalogs and coupons, we realized it would be cheaper to buy most of the items online. It is far less stressful of a process. You don’t have to wait in line and are able to order anything from gardening supplies to your favorite can of nuts, all from the comfort of your living room couch. Black Friday has some great holiday deals, but if you are going to shop online, Cyber Monday is where the real deals are!

Black Friday may be the best day for holiday deals and I think it would be better for both stores and families if it would remain on Friday. Thanksgiving should be kept sacred as a holiday for giving thanks and spending time with family. Everyone deserves a day with family and we are taking that away from a lot of people when we support Black Friday on Thursday.