It’s hard to believe Halloween was a week ago, yet here we are, preparing for the hectic Christmas shopping days ahead of us. And yes, I said Christmas, because we all get so worked up with finding the perfect gift that we may as well skip Thanksgiving and go straight to what we really want to do: shop on Black Friday.
If you’re one of those people who tries to avoid this Hunger Games of shopping events, then good for you. There are some people out there who would sacrifice delicious food and quality family time in order to shop. With all those ads and commercials out there, one has to think: Are the deals on Black Friday really worth it?
Ziona Wright is a sophomore at the University of Tampa who works at Pottery Barn in Hyde Park. She believes that all of the ruckus over Black Friday isn’t worth the deals offered.
“We don’t have any door buster deals like most people would think [and hope],” said Wright, an advertisement and public relations major. “We have the offer called the ‘bounce back.’ If you spend a certain amount on Black Friday, Pottery Barn will match 10 percent of what you spent, and you can use it the day after Christmas. The more you spend on Black Friday, the more you get back for Christmas.”
So, if the deals aren’t that great, why is there so much hype concerning Black Friday at all? Well, for one thing, Thanksgiving is so late this year (Nov. 28), it actually shortens the holiday shopping season.
Companies like Target have added a little twist to their Black Friday sale promotions this year. When you go to their website, you can read their promo: “Be the first to know about Black Friday Deals, exclusive offers and promotions. Sign up now for special orders via email.” That way, you can get your holiday shopping list ready as quickly as possible.
Behind-the-scenes preparation, however, is a different story.
“Since we do not do much for Black Friday, we prepare like usual: set up the silverware, fluff the pillows, etc. It is just like a regular day for us,” Wright said.
Not every store has that luxury. Kelsie Lee Kostakos, a junior marine biology major at UT, works at a Chick-fil-A in her home state of Georgia. According to Kostakos, it’s one of their busiest days. You don’t need to work at the local mall or at the big retail stores to feel the Black Friday frenzy. Small fast food establishments are also heavily affected.
“We aren’t located inside North Point mall, but we still get a lot of customers,” Kostakos said. “Some employees come at 11:30 at night and start their shift. We usually sell the easiest items to prepare from the menu. That way, we can keep up with the rush and volume of people we get.“
Wright feels as though Pottery Barn readily prepares its employees for the crowds of customers.
“I’ve only been there [Pottery Barn] since the end of July. I have learned a lot, though, and they always keep us prepared and informed for the holiday season,” Wright said.
However, there is a certain dangerous aura to Black Friday shopping. Some people get trampled over while others are trying to enter the store, and others needed medical assistance or, in rare cases, people can even get trampled to death.
“Personally, I don’t participate in Black Friday,” junior communication major Katie Reiter said. “There is always something on the news about how someone was injured during the process. I don’t think I can do it.”
Most of these tragic events have occurred at stores such as Walmart and Target, which are two of the biggest retailers in the U.S., according to Stores.org. Both stores are known for their incredible discounted products, so you could imagine that their deals would be even lower on Black Friday, which causes more chaos.
One of the most tragic Walmart incidents occurred in 2008 when an employee, Jdimytai Damour, was trampled to death. The 34-year-old was working in the Valley Stream, N.Y. location when a mob of shoppers surged through the doors as soon as the building was let open. Damour was instantly thrown back onto the ground and was trampled in the stampede. Within an hour of him being in the hospital, he was dead. Four other people were injured as well, including an eight-month pregnant woman.
“I definitely think that it brings out the worst in people,” said Andrea Papandrew, a sophomore government and world affairs major. “I haven’t gone Black Friday shopping in a while, but I know that people do a lot of pushing and shoving, which just isn’t necessary.”
Another major Black Friday incident occurred last year when a man collapsed and died at a South Charleston, W.Va. Target. Shoppers stepped right over Walter Vance’s body as he lay dying on the floor.
Despite these incidents, the excitement built up around Black Friday keeps growing. Many stores also do Internet sales on Cyber Monday or even make it an entire Cyber sale week to attract more customers.
“I prefer Cyber Monday,” said Nicole Bass, a sophomore criminology major. “It’s a lot easier than getting up super early and going out into the craziness.”
Cyber Monday has some good benefits. For one, you don’t have to physically go to the store and deal with hectic crowds. You can easily get really good deals. In fact, you don’t even have to wait until Black Friday to start your shopping. Stores offer sales and deals before then.
Is all of that trouble worth saving a few bucks on a sweater? These stories aren’t necessarily meant to scare all the shopaholics away, but they certainly want to make sure everyone stops by their store on this ultimate day of discounts.
Xelmarie Medina can be reached at xelmarie.medina@spartans.ut.edu
Madison Irwin can be reached at madison.irwin@spartans.ut.edu