The student news site of Fraser High School

The Flash

The student news site of Fraser High School

The Flash

The student news site of Fraser High School

The Flash

Black…Thursday?

photo (5)
Many shoppers battle over Black Friday deals.
Photo Credit: Nick Paulson.

By Alison Budzyn

Clinton Township – Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday. So is standing in line in the frigid temperatures on the day following, known as Black Friday, in order to get an outrageously low prices on products on sale.

Some people are glad that we added Thanksgiving Thursday to the mix that is Black Friday, while others are protesting saying that Thanksgiving is a holiday, it’s meant to be spent with family, not in a shopping mall. They’re going as far as asking people to pledge not to shop on Thanksgiving Day. They’ve created pages on social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter. Asking people to keep Thanksgiving a family-oriented holiday and to take a pledge to not shop on Turkey Day.

Stores that didn’t traditionally open until four a.m. on Friday now are opening as early as six a.m. Thanksgiving morning and staying open all day long with their door buster sales beginning at eight p.m. Now as that is wonderful for consumers, it’s definitely cutting into sitting down to eat and carving the turkey time.

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“I’ve been Black Friday shopping for about 20 years,” Carla Budzyn said, “and I’ve noticed the last, probably three years; the stores have opened earlier and earlier. Doesn’t really cause a family issue for me, because it’s kind of a family event; we all shop together.”

“These longer sale hours mean longer work hours for me,” Caitlin Appel, manager at McDonald’s said. “The customers are crabby and impatient. Making (it) a very long work day for me.”

Carla Budzyn, Greg Budzyn, and Lori Fountain are already planning on taking advantage of the Thursday late night sales and will be ignoring the pledges to not shop on Thanksgiving Day.

“I don’t really mind shopping on Thanksgiving,” Greg Budzyn said. “It’s kind of been part of our Thanksgiving traditions. After eating our meal, we pass around the sale ads and plan a strategy on where we’re shopping and what we intend to get. It’s kind of like hunting for us, since we don’t deer hunt. I drop the ladies off at the door, swing by and pick them when they’re done.”

This seems to be a pattern for a lot of shopping families. Kids are starting to go along for the shopping experience with their parents and older siblings.

It’s not all fun and games though. Outbreaks of violence, serious injuries, and even deaths have been reported due to Black Friday’s massive crowds.

“We’ve been in a couple of altercations through the years,” Lori Fountain said. “It can be kinda scary, but it is a rush. It’s fun. We do our best to stay safe. I guess the older we get, we’re not as willing to risk our lives for television sets that we probably don’t need in the first place.”

As long as there are people willing to stand in line for hours on end to save money, Black Friday is sure to continue and even bleed into the Thursday before.

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Black…Thursday?