Every Friday after Thanksgiving, retail stores are packed from wall to wall with customers trying to get the best deals on electronics, clothing and other reduce price items.
Many Americans flock toward Black Friday for the sales, hate the experience, and yet they still vow that they will return next year.
“I’ve been shopping Black Friday since I was aware there was a Black Friday,” said Cathy Andrusick, mother and longtime Black Friday shopper.
“I’ve been going for at least 19 years,” Andrusick said. Andrusick is one of the rare shoppers of Black Friday who doesn’t only enjoy the deals but the actual shopping experience of Black Friday.
Black Friday is fun for her to go out with her family to get great deals. Andrusick is a rare find because many Black Friday shoppers may leave with a great deal but also disgruntled.
“For me Black Friday adds to Thanksgiving, it's incorporated because I spend the whole day with my family,” Andrusick said.
Anti-Black Friday supporters believes this day of deals takes away from Thanksgiving Day. Twenty-one year old college student Brandi Miles opposes Black Friday not because of the deals but the mayhem.
“I do not like the fact that Black Friday is after Thanksgiving and it takes away from the fact that people are supposed to be spending time with their families, instead they are camping out in front of the stores and are fighting for the latest thing on sale,” Miles said.
Inez Sims is a mother of two, she went to her first Black Friday event a few years ago when major retail stores started to advertise Black Friday sales and it was also the last time she attended. “I went the very first year when Black Friday was held, there were wall to wall people in the store, I picked up one item to look at and someone snatched it, pushed me. I left and did not return,” she said.
Michael Tubbs is a part-time worker at Game Over Video Games in Houston and former employee of Old Navy and Toys R’ Us and has worked at Black Friday events for each company.
“Old Navy is mania. That’s a frightening event,” Tubbs said, “Even for something as simple as a $1 mitten people will fight. That is definitely fear. There are people who will ravage a store.”
Old Navy is a major retailer, on the other hand Game Over Video Games sales classic video games around the Texas area and Tubbs described the customers to be more courteous because they have a deeper respect for the product and the employees.
There seems to be a split among Americans if the prices and the deals of Black Friday are actually deals or not. “It's time consuming, I don’t believe in it, too many people, I don’t see the savings” Sims said.
Andrusick, the expert Black Friday shopper, claims that there are savings and that people can find great savings.
"I purchased a few toys for my grandchildren. I purchased some clothing. I would say I saved about half of what I spent because I’ve been shopping since and the same items are double what I paid.”
Tubbs, the expert Black Friday employee, says that people are getting caught up in the hype of Black Friday for nothing.
"I know from working retail that Black Friday is still not the best offer. You wait a couple months when inventories are taken, then you take advantage of a sale. It’s worth it to wait then not to deal with any hassle,” Tubbs said.
Question arise if stores actually make money during Black Friday with having sales up to 50 percent-off on items. For Game Over Video Games even with the reduced price that it is actually profitable for them to have a massive sell, Tubbs said.
