We have all heard of it: Black Friday. It is an American tradition where billions and billions of dollars are spent in a span of less than 24 hours. Where did this name come from, though?
It was coined in the ‘60s because this was the time when the department stores went from being in the red (net loss) to the black (positive net income) because of millions of parents dropping loads of money to make Christmas the best one yet.
It has been a fun tradition for me, personally: full of huge cups of coffee, long lines and eventually giving up around 4 a.m. due to too many crazy mothers fighting over the last Madden game. We have seen on the news all of the dangers that come with Black Friday shopping: people getting trampled and fights over the last item.
Stores are really teasing shoppers with incredible deals like Walmart’s deal on an iPad Mini with a $100 gift card for $299 and 40 other pages of incredible steals. We just have to come at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving.
Many will still be recovering from a food coma, but thanks to Walmart, they can join the race whenever they would like and steer clear of Walmart’s chaos. If you would rather sleep well Thursday night and not have to face the monstrosity known as Black Friday, you can always wait for “Cyber Monday,” where, according to Adobe, an estimated $2.27 billion will be spent by Internet users likely snuggled up in a blanket enjoying hot chocolate. It is quite appealing to drop the Black Friday drama for a much calmer, more relaxing experience. Amazon Prime accounts give students with an “.edu” email address the chance to try it out for a few months. An added bonus of having a Prime account is free two-day shipping.
Amazon is definitely not the only company with outrageous online sales that day. In fact, Google search “Black Friday 2013” or “Cyber Monday 2013” and you will find a plethora of deals waiting to be looked at by countless companies competing for your cash. One word of advice: map out your shopping adventure. Shoot for the more important deals to you first, and then go blow your cash on half-off jackets at Old Navy.
Good luck on getting those fantastic deals, KSU students. Be safe and come back to final exams in one piece. No television is worth being trampled over.
Is nothing sacred? The holidays have slipped away from the general public and been completely bastardized by Big Business. The traditional meaning of Thanksgiving and Christmas both have been diluted by mass consumerism. Read more about the War on the Holidays and American Values being waged from the trenches of Wall Street at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-war-on-thanksgiving-one-turkeys.html where one Turkey gets his revenge for encroaching on the holidays this year!