Black Friday sales move closer to black Thursday
Now that Halloween is over and November has arrived, consumers are less than a month away from the biggest shopping holiday of the season: Black Friday.
Every year, the sales of big-ticket items tickle people’s fancies and attract them to camp out days in advance to get their hands on them.
With the economy improving, stores have taken notice and opened their doors for shoppers earlier than previous years.
Last year, Wal-Mart caught a lot of heat for opening up and starting Black Friday sales even before the clock struck midnight. Wal-Mart opened stores around the country at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving night, turning what is called Black Friday into black Thursday.
While your neighborhood shopaholic may not care about losing out on Thanksgiving to get a good deal, the average person does.
“I think it’s taking away from Thanksgiving itself and people are having dinner early or even skipping dinner because they have to work or get in line,” said 51-year-old music major Ted Leedy. “Even though I do not agree with it, if I was a business owner I would have to open up early myself because of competition.”
While most stores have opted to open doors at midnight like in previous years, Kohl’s and Macy’s decided to join the trend and open at 8 p.m.
“I don’t think that it’s a bad thing to open late night on Thanksgiving,” said 21-year-old child development major Jenna Saechao. “By the time stores open Thanksgiving is usually over.”
According to CNN Money, consumers spent a whopping $52.4 billion over the four-day weekend last year, which was an increase of 13 percent from the year before.
According to FatWallet.com, Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year and attracts more and more people every time it comes around. But with that said, not everyone agrees with it.
“If I was a business owner I wouldn’t open up at midnight,” said 18-year-old computer information science major Darwin Linares. “Family is a big thing for me. I have to spend time with the family no matter what. Family is first.”
Although a good deal on Black Friday may be yours for the taking, some people question if fighting the crowd is even worth it.
“The system is being exploited and convincing people need to buy something really early in the morning and buys things they don’t need,” said Leon Stroughter, 19, a philosophy major.
Along with fighting crowds, customers may believe they are getting a great deal on an item, but some are not sure there actually are deals.
“Some stores raise the prices a couple of days before then drop the item to the regular price on Black Friday,” Linares said.
As Black Friday approaches, some like Saechao know how they will approach the day.
“I don’t see myself camping out at like a Best Buy but I am looking to buy a new TV,” Saechao said.
