Why I Will No Longer Participate in Black Friday

Last Updated on August 25, 2023

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday for a number of reasons. Each year, everyone comes to my parent’s home and we celebrate the holiday together. For that reason alone, I look forward to Thanksgiving because I know I’ll see my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

The fact that my mom and dad put so much time and effort into our Thanksgiving dinner makes the whole day seem even more special. I’m in constant awe of the stuff they serve up for each course. My father handles the turkey throughout the day while my mom makes pretty much everything else. They make it work!

Despite the time and effort that my parents put into our Thanksgiving dinner, the past two years have not been the same. Ever since stores had the bright idea of opening at 5 PM, Thanksgiving dinner has become more of a Thanksgiving lunch.

My mother is employed by a major company that participates in Black Friday. Since my mom has been assigned to work Black Friday shifts as early as 6 PM the past two years in a row, we’ve been left with no other option but to kick everyone out of our house early enough that we’d have time to help her clean up before work.

I don’t know anyone who loves Thanksgiving more than my own mother and it honestly makes me feel awful knowing that the holiday is rushed because stores can’t wait an extra few hours before they open their doors. I saw an article online where the CEO of one company essentially said, “The consumers prefer earlier doorbusters. If we open our doors at 7 PM and people show up, there is clearly a demand for shopping earlier in the evening.”

I’m sorry but I think that is so wrong. In my opinion, top executives are making it seem like people want to be going out earlier on Thanksgiving but my personal viewpoint is that people just really want the best deals available, and if that means going at 1 PM, then they’d still go. It does not necessarily mean it’s more “desirable.” I was perfectly fine waiting until midnight to go shopping.

In fact, I preferred midnight Black Friday shopping and I’m sad to say I will no longer be going out the night of Thanksgiving to be a part of it anymore. Part of the fun was seeing the crazy lines and the chaos at the stores – and that no longer exists. There was something so ridiculous and unusual about the whole midnight thing that it made shopping fun. But this is different now. I will no longer consider myself a part of Black Friday / Black Thursday because of the impact it has had on the way my family celebrates Thanksgiving.

To all the CEOs of the big-name stores out there, I hope you’ll seriously reconsider the decisions that have been made.

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The Rocky Safari