written by Jessie Stevens

     Black Friday. A crazy event the day after Thanksgiving, making it a four-day weekend for students and staff. Black Friday starts off the Christmas seasonal shopping, making it the busiest and most chaotic day of each year.

     In the months leading up to it, retailers start raising their prices until Black Friday, The prices get so high that when signs say, “Half off,” the items are at the original price it started off at the beginning of the year. Black Friday means a profitable Friday to the economy and retailing. Consumer and retail spending is 70% of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Retailers adopted the name, Black Friday to reflect their success of coming back from the Great Depression. In the 1900s, the “Black” day had occurred on multiple other days, being Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. On October 24, 1929, another dark day called “Black Thursday” signaled the Great Depression. The stock market lost 11% of their stock. 

     Aside from the history of  Black Friday, it is probably the worst holiday in America. It is dangerous, violent, busy, and chaotic. There are over hundreds of accidents on Black Friday from car crashes to fights breaking out in stores and people leaving with bruises. You’re basically buying the item for its original price from the beginning of the year, so what’s the fuss over?. People tend to spend thousands of dollars on different supplies and items for their household or even just for themselves. Who wants to literally spend that much money a day and go bankrupt? It’s best if you shop throughout the year and not spend a wallet full of money on Black Friday. 

     People would risk their safety just to drive out on Black Friday to go on a shopping spree. Black Friday is the day where extreme shoppers release their inner beast just to pay and get what they want. They’ll do anything in their power to get good deals on items they’ve been keeping an eye on, these shoppers can go so far where they will start stealing things from other shoppers and even start to get physical with them. Who wants to get hurt and have their items stolen just because the sales are so good? No one. Nobody wants to get pushed around in a huge crowd, that is why Black Friday is the worst holiday. It is too horrible to even think about, to be mentioned, or to go out shopping on that day.