It is one of the busiest days of the year for department stores. People rush out to buy items for low prices and get a head start on their Christmas shopping; they wait in long lines and department stores become a zoo. Sometimes it brings out the worst in people. Sometimes it is simply a rush of excitement. It is Black Friday.
The Friday after Thanksgiving, otherwise known as Black Friday, is the day of mayhem for most department stores. Many stores open at the crack of dawn for dedicated shoppers who want to find great deals or gifts for their friends and family.
Some stores, such as Walmart, begin Thanksgiving night with deals on movies, video games, electronics, children’s toys, clothes, linens and more. Crowds seem to be more physical when it comes to grabbing the best deals on movies, video games and electronics.
Black Friday shopping can become dangerous. While reaching for different items, things begin to be thrown around–people can even get hurt.
Nikki Cummins, junior criminology major, said she has experienced the pressure of trying to grab a popular item in a sea of people.
“One year, a girl pushed me and my best friend out of the way when the Blu-ray players went on sale at a certain time,” Cummins said. “She pushed through us two minutes before she was supposed to and took one.”
Wanda Hunt, former Walmart employee, said people use to line up outside the building waiting for the doors to open.
“This was before we were open all night,” Hunt said. “Once you unlocked the door, you immediately moved out of the way.”
Hunt recalled moments when people would go to the extreme to get the items they wanted.
“Popular items that were in high demand were kept in the back and locked up,” Hunt said. “People would have to ask for these particular items, and someone from management would have to go and get them one. We had to do this because people would steal items out of other people’s buggies. Some would even get in fist fights over high-ticket items.”
Department stores also participate in the Black Friday craze. Some of them include Belk, Kohls, Sears, JC Penney, and more.
Most of these stores advertise early-bird sales and people wait in line for hours to be let into the store to rush and grab the best deals. Some people even camp out overnight to make sure that they are the first in line.
But there is something not everyone remembers when it comes to Black Friday shopping; most stores do begin their sales in the earliest hours of the morning, but those sales usually last all day, or until all items are sold.
The secret to Black Friday is to remember that in some cases it is important to get to stores right when the sales start, especially if it is known that the items on sale are in high demand.
However, if it is items that not everyone is rushing out to buy, they will probably still be there no matter what time of the day it is.
This year, Black Friday is on Nov. 25. For those who are interested in shopping ads can be found online with the items that will be on sale, what time they go on sale, and what stores are participating.
