Is it harmless bargain hunting or materialism? Staff writers debate expanded shopping hours on Black Friday

Shopping cuts into family time
BY IZZIE BONILLA
Staff Writer

Thanksgiving is the most family-oriented holiday of the year, and it isn’t hard to understand why. This is a day for people to stop and think about how lucky they are to have family and other loved ones in their lives.

So how far do too many people plan on spending the holiday this year? By celebrating not people but things, since Black Friday is expanding into Thanksgiving.

It was bad enough when the Black Friday “door busters” started at midnight, as millions of people would forget gratitude on Thanksgiving as they worked on their game plans for shopping – where should they go, and when should they start camping out?

Now, in some stores, the shopping frenzy will start on Thanksgiving Day. Kmart thinks shoppers are willing to give up the holiday altogether, having announced plans to open at 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

Meanwhile, millions of people complain about how Christ is not being kept in Christmas enough, but for too many of those same people, the first thing they do each year for Christmas is go on a shopping spree. So much for the true spirit of the season; the chance to buy five televisions and a lifetime supply of toothbrushes was just too good to ignore.

Finally, there is the violence. Is there anything more ridiculous than someone getting injured during a Thanksgiving weekend stampede to buy gifts that are supposed celebrate the birth of Christ? People have been trampled and a few have lost their lives over things like a TV that was $150 dollars less than its original price.

It’s true that some amount of commercialism is just a fact during the Christmas holidays, and of course everyone appreciates a sale. But somewhere between the pushing through the front door and all of that gift wrapping, the true meanings of both Thanksgiving and Christmas are getting lost.

On the bright side, though, people can have a TV in every room – maybe even the garage.

It’s family bonding, not greed

BY NATALIE BROWN
Staff Writer

Seventy-five percent off sales, waking up at 2 a.m., and risking serious injuries: Who doesn’t love a chance once every year to literally shop — and not drop, to avoid getting trampled by other shoppers? After a day of eating turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie, extreme shoppers work off all those calories with the intense morning rampage for Christmas gifts known as Black Friday.

The lure of lower prices brings almost any willing bargain shopper to the front door, causing an estimated $11.4 billion to be spent last year. Statistics show 1 in every 3 adults will go shopping this year on Black Friday, and last year an estimated 225 million people shopped.

Most commonly drawn into the chaos are teenage girls who have been eyeing that Coach purse in Macy’s for four months, moms on a Christmas mission, and big families looking to ease their tight budget. The most popular items to nab are tablets, televisions, phones, and more digital items, but also Christmas toys sometimes too expensive to even consider otherwise.

The biggest question is whether Black Friday is ruining Thanksgiving. This year, Target will open its doors at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving, now introduced as Black Thursday. While some say that this is a blow to the significance of the holiday, others say bring it on. While Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate family, shopping on Thanksgiving is, for some, the perfect family time.

Additionally, Black Friday shoppers may be accused of defeating the purpose of a thankful holiday, but how does Christmas shopping on one day make someone more materialistic than those who shop all through the Christmas season?

The stories of rambunctious crowds waiting outside the doors are proof of the excitement and eagerness to get into the store first. Each year in a small number of stores, injuries do occur. While they get high-profile media attention, they are rare.

With companies such as Kohl’s, Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart offering huge coupon discounts, it will surely be only a matter of time before all inventory is cleared this year.

The minute the doors begin to open, it’s every man for himself.