By Sarah Johnson |Staff Writer|
Camping outdoors in long lines at malls, racing through stores to get a deal, and fighting over the last Princess Elsa doll on the shelf; all things that come to mind when someone says “Black Friday.”
This is ironic, because the day prior–Thanksgiving–brings completely different thoughts to mind.
Turkey dinner on the table, mom’s homemade stuffing, the aroma of pumpkin pie baking in the oven, and your family and friends all there to give thanks for everything they have been given in life.
Thanksgiving is supposed to be all about appreciating the things we already have in life.
Yet some shoppers become ruthless and violent hours later just to get their hands on a wide screen television that is $50 cheaper than the listing price.
According to BlackFridayDeathCount.com, seven deaths and 90 injuries have occurred on Black Friday since 2008.
One man with a heart condition collapsed in a Target store in 2011.
He fell to the ground and shoppers stepped over and on him en route to the best bargains.
He was taken to the emergency room and later pronounced dead.
A male Walmart employee in Long Island, New York, was also trampled and killed by shoppers in 2008.
Though retailers use this as a day to “get out of the red and into the black” with finances, to many consumers, it has quickly grown to be a negative day.
When asking students what they think about Black Friday, the emotions and thoughts were unanimous.
Jordan Mitchell, student and former Target employee said, “Black Friday honestly sucks. When I was 
working at Target, it cut time with my family. My first year we opened at midnight, the next year 9 p.m., and now this year they’re opening at 6 p.m. Thanksgiving Day.”
“Black Friday is B.S. It keeps getting pushed earlier onto Thanksgiving Day and now the employees don’t get to spend time with their family, which is the whole point of giving thanks,” said Spencer Reifel.
Major retail stores are opening on Thanksgiving Day this year, including Target, Walmart, Best Buy, Kohl’s, JC Penney, Toys “R” Us, and Old Navy.
K-Mart is opening their doors Thanksgiving morning at 6 a.m.
Employees of K-Mart are extremely upset. Because they don’t get to spend Thanksgiving with their family. Instead they are at work dealing with a plethora of shoppers.
With shopping deals being bumped up to Thanksgiving Day, the name “Grey Thursday” is slowly starting to surface.
Thankfully, there are also a good amount of semi-major stores who are choosing to stay closed on Thanksgiving.
Bass Pro Shops, Bed Bath & Beyond, Costco, Marshalls, Nordstrom, and Crate & Barrel are just a few stores honoring the Thanksgiving holiday and not allowing money to take precedence over their employee’s valuable time with family and friends.
Hopefully, this Thanksgiving you will think twice before getting in line for Black Friday or Grey Thursday.
Get your bargains and Christmas presents on Cyber-Monday and have them shipped to your home while you enjoy an evening with loved ones, stuffing your faces with turkey and stuffing, as we all should be doing.
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