Rio Hondo College Newspaper

El Paisano

Rio Hondo College Newspaper

El Paisano

Rio Hondo College Newspaper

El Paisano

A sweet sale named desire

So once again Thanksgiving Day came and went, where everybody is completely thankful for everything they have or so it seems, because the very next Black Friday comes after, the day in which items at stores become cheaper to buy and lines begin to become packed.

It seems ironic that the day after Thanksgiving, when people give thanks and act appreciative of what’s in their life, they end up rushing in lines at stores for their brand new flat screen TVs and Xbox One. It’s that time of year when people pour thousands of dollars into material things since they believe they’re saving money when they are not. They are still spending it.

It’s frustrating when people look at Black Friday as the only day to buy things and save money. There are other times where stores have discounts too so it doesn’t have to be Black Friday. The various sales encourage people to buy things and overspend their money therefore they aren’t saving their wallets from future punishment.

The worse part about Black Friday is it’s level of dangerous because in the past there have been stampedes that have occurred when consumers are rushing to buy their items. In 2008, a Wal-Walmart employee died after they were run over by a stampede of 200 people.

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There were also 4 people injured, including a pregnant woman. Thefts are commonly committed on Black Friday. In 2010, 3 women claimed that they had around $1000 worth of Best Buy merchandise stolen from their car.

Sadly, violence occurs on the malls between shoppers as you very well be aware of. There have been a total of 7 deaths and 88 injuries on Black Fridays between the years 2006 and now.

To me it seems kind of pathetic the kind of the actual length people will go to for popular items. Like, is it really worth it, all that damage done for deals?

There were also 4 people injured, including a pregnant woman. There are also thefts committed on Black Friday. In 2010, 3 women claimed that they had about $1000 worth of Best Buy merchandise stolen from their car. A lot of violence occurs on the malls between shoppers. There have been a total of 7 deaths and 88 injuries on Black Fridays from 2006 through 2013.

Black Friday drags down the cheerful spirits of people who have to working. Employees especially at retail stores usually have to deal with a lot during the seasonal period and end up having to work many hours with little to no breaks. It can be bad for them because of the stress they’re going to have to deal with from having many customers that day.

Today it seems that Black Friday has become more of a trend and that everybody has to be a part of it or you are weird. Perhaps that is because it is hard for someone to believe that another someone else could turn down a deal especially in the harsh money times everyone is in.

Truth is there is a chance at sales without having to go out in public which is always crowded and could result in death or theft and money overspent. Cyber Monday, which is always a few days after the Black Friday event which I believe is better because the items are cheaper and you don’t have to wait in long lines and wait hours to get what you need and or want.

With the economy is also doing poorly and people just want to spend money quick. Why, though? I thought Thanksgiving was a time to be thankful not spoiled. And Christmas with coming up there is still time to give and get presents, maybe people need to become more invested in their time and plan out their priorities.

With this being my opinion, by the time you’re done reading this you can probably think “man, he’s right,” or “nah he’s an idiot, I’m going to keep shopping on Black Fridays, risking my own life and others for the sake of my $200 Beats and a sweet 37 inch TV which I got $30 because I’m saving money, oh and I just pushed over a teenager all for the that copy of a grand theft auto.”

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