By Miranda Owen, Staff Reporter.
While most people think of Black Friday as the start of the winter holiday season, it is actually not jolly and joyous in any sense.
Over-consumption is not sustainable, and it’s exactly what Black Friday encourages. Most major companies operate their factories in countries with few environmental regulations and poor working conditions, and a huge portion of their yearly sales occur on Black Friday. More goods are produced right before this time, meaning that more environmental damage is occurring, too. According the the EPA, only 34.5% of American waste is recycled, and Black Friday contributes to more packaging waste as well.
While people think that they are getting better deals, they tend to spend more money on Black Friday than they save because they buy more stuff. They are also more likely to buy things they didn’t intend to buy when they went shopping than any other day, simply because they see the word “SALE” on the price tag. I’ve seen people at Walmart shell out $50 on a bunch of terrible low-budget DVDs they weren’t particularly interested in just because they were cheap. Little did they know that those movies were probably $1 to rent for five nights at Family Video, and then they wouldn’t have to own those awful movies.
It’s so hypocritical for people to camp outside of stores immediately after saying what they’re thankful for at Thanksgiving dinner. It also ruins the holiday for retail workers. My mom sells appliances at Sears, and she has to go to sleep after she eats dinner just so she can start a long shift at two in the morning on Black Friday. There are people who have to go to work even earlier than her on Thanksgiving day and don’t get to eat with their families at all. Luckily, there’s a growing movement of people who are boycotting stores that open before midnight on Black Friday, which makes the lives of retail workers much easier.
People die shopping on Black Friday. That sounds ridiculous to say, but it’s true. The site blackfridaydeathcount.com keeps track of violence that occurs on Black Friday, and so far it’s counted seven deaths and 90 injuries since 2006. Some of the incidents they list include fights, tramplings, shootings and stabbings. Retail workers are harmed as well. For example, they list an incident in 2011 in which a Target employee lost control of their car due to exhaustion after working the night shift on Black Friday. She had to be rescued from a canal, all because she had to stay up late and help people get some good deals.
I don’t want you to feel bad for going shopping on Black Friday, but you must be aware of its problems. There’s nothing wrong with budgeting your money to get something you really want that’s on sale, or even splurging a little bit. Be an informed consumer and find out what you want to buy beforehand and try to stick to your shopping plan as much as possible. Most importantly, please don’t kill people. Seriously.
