Thanksgiving has come and gone.
The turkey has been eaten, the tables have been cleared, and the family has gone back to Wisconsin.
As Thanksgiving dinner died down another “National Holiday” emerged from the remnants of stuffing and mashed potatoes: Black Friday.
As I scrolled through my Twitter feed while laying on the floor, I saw many a tweet criticizing Black Friday and the stores opening early.
While I recognize that it is unfair for workers to be expected to work on Thanksgiving and early Friday morning, Black Friday is still a very worthwhile use of people’s times–especially for college students.
Black Friday is one of the only opportunities for people less well-off to treat themselves and others to something that would normally be a little out of their price range.
That electric toothbrush you’ve been eyeing since your last dentist appointment?
It’s fifty percent off.
The fuzzy blanket your bed really needs?
It’s $5.99.
Some of us are not used to treating ourselves to things outside the dollar section at Target.
On this one day (and Cyber Monday) we are given the chance to spend about the same amount of money we would otherwise for more goods.
They’re usually better quality purchases as well.
There are certainly cons to Black Friday, but the benefits of the sales offered to consumers heavily outweigh them.
One of the biggest arguments against Black Friday is that you are not spending as much time with your family as you should on Thanksgiving.
Depending on how your family environment is, this could be a positive thing for you.
If you do enjoy your family, Black Friday is a time to bond over great deals on luggage and surviving the crazy crowds at JC Penney’s and Macy’s.
The camaraderie you feel after finding the last Instant Pot at Target is better than that of coincidentally taking a nap at the same time on the floor of your aunt’s house while the rest of your family snooze in various other locations.
You do not even need to stay out all night and get up at the crack of dawn, which would admittedly cause some strain in many relationships, to have a successful Black Friday.
Many sales begin Thursday (again, sucky for retail workers) afternoon and extend through Friday night, and even Saturday!
Pick a time that works for you, and I am sure you will find the same deals that you would at two in the morning.
My family was done with our Black Friday shopping at 11p.m. on Thursday night.
We were tucked in with our new pajamas and fuzzy socks by 11:15, ready to sleep off the Thanksgiving food hangover.
We avoided all the lines and much of the craziness that we would have otherwise seen by going out the night before Black Friday.
So, the long lines and the trampling crowds are a bit of a moot point when it comes to judgement of Black Friday.
As Thanksgiving dinner died down another “National Holiday” emerged from the remnants of stuffing and mashed potatoes: Black Friday.
They are easily avoidable, and all of the same deals (for the most part) were still readily available to us when we desired them.
Although some of the magic of Black Friday comes from finally reaching the storefront or cashier after waiting for two hours, it is easily replaceable by getting a full night’s sleep and the same items you would have gotten otherwise.
This brings me back to the argument of not being able to spend as much time with your family.
Because of the hours being extended for Black Friday, you will have more opportunities to spend time with your family.
Unlike years before, you have more opportunities to shop and more opportunities to bond over pumpkin pie with your grandma.
And if you do happen to get stuck in line with a family member at ShopKo, this gives you some bonding time as well, even if what you are bonding over is how much the line sucks and how good some apple pie sounds at that moment.
Black Friday comes once a year. Yes, stores have sales on and off all year round, but only once in 365 days is there a day set aside solely for shopping.
Black Friday is not about to disappear any time soon, so why not take advantage of it?