It may seem as if we are just skipping over Thanksgiving this year due to Starbucks across the nation already decking the halls and Christmas trees starting to go up, but there is one occasion that no one will skip over–the shopping frenzies we all know as Black Friday and Cyber Monday. While both are the beginning of the season of Santas, cookies, peppermint and blow up snowmen in yards, Cyber Monday is starting to look a lot more attractive in the eyes of some shoppers.

Everything we need is online these days; things like Amazon Prime, Disney+ and all the stores that now have apps or drive through lanes make shopping even easier. It is as if the main goal is to never actually go into the store, and that’s starting to become a reality with grocery delivery services and fast track shipping. There really is no point to go into the store on Black Friday when you can order everything you need with the click of a button on Amazon on Cyber Monday.

“With the movement towards buying and shopping online, there’s more people who participate in Cyber Monday rather than going into the crowds,” Senior Megan Bean said. Why go to Best Buy to get the newest Frozen Movie when it’s going to be on Disney+ or can be ordered on the website? Sure, Black Friday will satisfy our needs of instant gratification because we don’t have to wait for it to ship, but Cyber Monday satisfies our feelings of laziness and not wanting to get off the couch to go get the latest version of the fancy Instant Pot. Cyber Monday very well may take over the spot of Black Friday in the future as more technology and drones fly all over the place, but the one thing Cyber Monday doesn’t have that physically going to the store doesn’t? Free samples.

Another perk to Cyber Monday is that your safety is guaranteed. Black Friday can get pretty rowdy for shoppers, and demanding on those who work those shifts. According to an article from PBS titled “On Black Friday, the Psychology of Retail Rage,” in 2008, a Walmart employee was trampled and killed by shoppers on Black Friday. While many may say it is worth getting pushed, trampled, verbally attacked and pulling an all-nighter for the last pair of Lululemon leggings, why go through all that when you can sit in the comfort of your own home and order them online without all the chaos? It is also widely accepted that cardio is not everyone’s favorite form of exercise, and in some extreme cases, running for the last Wii is necessary, or shall I say, it was a few years ago. Black Friday shopping also can lead to unclear thinking, as my family decided to buy 10+ Mini Google Homes at one time because they had a deal going on. Black Friday should be classified as an extreme sport due to the running, diving, dodging, impulsiveness and roasting of the other shoppers in order to claim victory. It is crazy what some people will do to save a couple bucks.

Lastly, Cyber Monday allows for Thanksgiving to actually run its course. It is so ironic how the season of being grateful and sharing with one another is interrupted by needing the latest and greatest touch screen refrigerator when your current refrigerator is chilling your lunch meat just fine. Black Friday also pulls employees away from their families to work endless shifts.

“A lot of people work Black Friday, including myself, and on Cyber Monday you can get just as good of deals as Black Friday without having to deal with the hassle of going into the mall,” Sophomore Maddie Sweeney said.

I don’t know about you, but I would rather spend my Thanksgiving with my family in the comfort of my home instead of camped out in the parking lot of a Walmart or checking people out for hours on end. In addition, Cyber Monday allows for four days of preparation for the next season of spending, and for all the mashed potatoes you inhaled to digest. As much as I love Christmas, it is sad to see the season of giving thanks be trampled just like Black Friday shoppers trample each other when Target finally opens its doors. I totally understand that Black Friday is an event in itself, as the adrenaline rush of the doors finally opening can be compared to the gates opening at the Kentucky Derby as the horses sprint for the finish line, but for me, I’ll be sitting out this race this year.