Story by Eryka Hammonds // Contributor
The holidays seem to come quicker and quicker each year. But while Thanksgiving is fast approaching, are people anticipating the day after it even more?
For some, like Middle Tennessee State University student Porsha Greene, Black Friday takes away from a day meant to be with family.
“I just feel like Black Friday [has] taken over Thanksgiving,” Greene said. “We work on Thanksgiving and I really hate that because now I can’t go home to see my folks, and I really hate that because last year was the first time I missed Thanksgiving and I was so emotional.”
Greene is from Memphis, Tennessee, and like many other MTSU students are finding it hard to go home for the holidays due to having to work for the season sales.
“It’s to the point where you work Thanksgiving night at 6 p.m. and work all the way through to the next day when the store is actually supposed to close,” she said.
Black Friday began as being the first day for Christmas shopping following Thanksgiving. Many businesses now make it a requirement for employees to be available to work at least one of the holidays between Thanksgiving and New Years. Greene said she feels the holidays are now more about companies making money than people spending time with family.
“It’s not about family anymore. It’s about the sales,” Greene explained. “That’s how the company’s get you and how they make their money.”
Whether holidays are becoming more commercialized is subject to opinion and many debates, but many business news sources report the holidays as a peak season for many companies.
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Black Friday is a well-known sales event and is probably the biggest shopping event of the year next to tax-free weekend.
Over the years, stores have been opening earlier and earlier. The excitement and adrenaline used to exist when stores did not open the doors until 3-4 a.m. Last year in 2014, select stores opened at 8 p.m. on Thursday night a.k.a. Thanksgiving.
I thought it was ridiculous and wondered “Who is going to come shopping at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving night?” To my surprise, the turnout was unbelievable. All these people coming out to shop on Thanksgiving night when it supposed to be spent with family. It looks like sales are becoming more of a priority than family.
Some will argue that they are spending time with family and for some that may be true. As an experienced retail associate, this past Black Friday was my fifth one working. The holidays really bring out the worst in people and I never understood why. We had families argue over what they want. We had families arguing with other families over a $25 pair of jeans.
I want to hope that next year, all stores will be closed on Thanksgiving but at this rate, the Black Friday excitement and adrenaline will soon be a thing of the past.