Black Friday? More like Bloody Friday
Sophie Salem, Staff Writer
Black Friday: the busiest shopping day of the year in the United States since 2005, and one of the most exciting days of the holiday season. On the Friday following Thanksgiving, stores all over the country provide unimaginable sales for the world to raid. Yes, Black Friday is a yearly and well-renowned occurrence, but is it truly worth all the hoopla?
The earliest known Black Friday was in November of 1951, but it wasn’t nearly as crazy as it is today. Black Friday is not what it used to be, and as of 2019, 84.2 million people shop in stores to catch the holiday sales. It’s ideal to get the greatest sales of the year, but Black Friday has become dangerous and deadly in some cases. Larger department stores have shown to be the most dangerous when it comes to the mob of people that raid when the doors first open. In 2008, a Walmart worker was killed after a stampede of people trampled him. Not to mention, Black Friday attendees are growing every year. Even worse, as people fight to get a parking spot to get to their favorite store, many car accidents and pedestrian collisions occur. Fights have escalated as people have gotten physical just to get their favorite shirt. Many students agree that they would much rather survive than get trampled in a Walmart.
“It’s definitely not worth shopping in the big stores if you can get killed,” Desmond Gebreski (’23) said.
Every year, more and more people get hurt or even die at Black Friday, and it has become clear that it’s not worth the dangers. Rather than risking one’s life at the mall, it is much better for one’s safety to shop online and still get all of the deals! Seriously, as technology is growing more and more, you’re likely to find everything you want from the comfort of your own home, without the risk of dying of course. Especially straight out of the pandemic where it is more risky to be amongst crowds, online shopping may even be the better option, and every sale has turned electronic!
Now, grab your computer, a cup of coffee and go Black Friday shopping to explore everything the holidays have to offer. Stay safe through online shopping this year and for every year to come.
