Logan Skrzypek ‘27, Student Life Editor
Everybody who walks into a retail store or login to a popular website on the Friday after Thanksgiving often expects an easy and pleasing shopping experience with excitement and happiness to buy their favorite gifts or items for the holidays and beyond, but sometimes that’s simply not the case. From theft to employees having major stock issues, Black Friday can be a huge hassle for many people wishing to get lower prices on Christmas gifts for their family and friends. Because of this, many retailers opt out of Black Friday sales, close their stores publicly, and put their sales behind a website to help prevent arguments between people, customers trashing the store, and theft issues from spreading across their store. This was not what Black Friday was truly meant to be; how did a simple day of shopping turn into a problematic sensation across the world? Was the change to online shopping truly beneficial to creating an easier way to shop? What are the causes and effects of shopping on Black Friday, and how can you make shopping easier this year?
The reason behind the naming of Black Friday comes from the depth of the meaning of “black” which normally refers to an increase in profit or lack of deficit when it comes to selling goods. The first ever Black Friday took place in 1869 following Jay Gould’s attempt to increase the economy by significantly reducing prices on one specific day of the year. Little did Gould know, this would lead to a financial crisis and a massive crash in the markets as a whole. In fact, one of the main contributions towards The Great Depression was Black Friday, as a huge stock market crash—referred to as Black Tuesday—occurred. Ever since, a series of market crashes have occurred on Black Friday, causing many retailers to rethink what their plan for Black Friday would be for the upcoming years. This created a new day of the year known as Cyber Monday, an online-only edition of Black Friday that occurs on the Monday following Black Friday.
However, Cyber Monday ended up being just what it was supposed to be, an online rendition of Black Friday. But does the transition from being an all in-store Black Friday to an all-online rendition of it really make a difference? How much do people spend each Black Friday and does it affect how Black Friday works nowadays? Freshman Morgan Huber responded with, “Yes, I think Black Friday has become an easier tradition for stores and customers alike because now they can restock things faster and there would be less people in the store so it would be less chaotic. I would say that I spend about $200 each year. Usually I buy stuff that I know will last and, clothing wise, will fit me throughout the rest of the year.” From a more in-depth perspective of someone who frequently goes shopping from time to time, sophomore Addisyn Kundinger said, “I think Black Friday going all online was better for the economy because it was easier for people to do everything a store can offer. In stores, before Black Friday went online, there were mass amounts of people in stores. I think that it has been better for the United States economy to have Black Friday shopping online simply because people can easily buy more items than they would have before, which in turn boosts our economy.” She continued saying, “I normally don’t spend a ton of money on Black Friday, as I am not a huge spender to begin with. I normally purchase clothing and electronics, though last year I just bought clothing. They give me satisfaction throughout the rest of the year as I continuously wear the clothing through the year.”
It is easy to say that ever since big stock market crashes occurred in the past, Black Friday has been an economic, fight-inducing, and stressful struggle for many shoppers. However, with the new transition to mostly online-only shopping, the possibilities of stocking goods more efficiently and having shoppers have a clear idea as to what they are looking for really boosts the speed and easiness of Black Friday. For hopes of an easier future for Black Friday, moving to a mostly all-online shopping experience has helped boost the economy and customer amount for retailers on Black Friday.
Lyon Life 