After Americans eat half of their body weight in stuffing, they choose to skip a good night’s sleep and stand out in the freezing cold all to save a buck on their holiday shopping. Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving and is one of the busiest shopping days of the year. The term “Black Friday” comes from when accountants used to record everything by hand. Red ink indicated a loss, and black ink indicated a profit. On this day, stores moved from the “red” into the “black”, giving it the name Black Friday. Black Friday started in the 1960s, and despite the popularity, has yet to be named an official holiday. Consumers take advantage of this opportunity to receive the best deals on their holiday gift shopping. Black Friday has had an incredible amount of participation causing stores to open on Thanksgiving during the evening. It has acquired quite a reputation for being incredibly chaotic, and people are cautioned to be safe when shopping. Days after the sales one student says, “Target is still recovering from Black Friday,” because people will do anything to save money.
In a recent poll on the Gauntlet’s twitter page, 39% of students do their holiday shopping throughout the month of December and surprisingly, the Thanksgiving/Black Friday category was the least popular with only 11% of the votes. This could be because of the craziness that comes with shopping on Black Friday. Consumers may prefer to shop online on Cyber Monday to avoid having to brave massive crowds. Cyber Monday is the Monday that follows Thanksgiving and it gives consumers the opportunity to purchase items online at a discounted price, which is very appealing to those who do not want to venture out into the hectic scene that is Black Friday shopping.
Holiday shopping can be incredibly difficult. Shopping for loved ones can be difficult to keep within a budget. In an effort to save money, make rather than buy. Sometimes it’s better that way; after all it is the thought that counts. Do something thoughtful, a gesture. Making a gift or doing something for someone can sometimes mean more to someone than buying them something. The holidays is not about buying the best most expensive thing, it’s about the spirit of giving and showing the people you care about, how much they mean to you.
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