On the first Friday after the Thanksgiving celebrations, a brief period of chaos erupts in stores across the entire country. Unknowingly, thousands of Americans rush to their nearest store unprepared for a fight to the death for discounts.

Not only does this peculiar day cause multiple spots of disorder – it can also dip into people’s family time. Some people will take the idea of getting a “good” discount so seriously that they will camp outside of a store for hours and possibly risk missing their Thanksgiving celebrations with their family. Some people even go as far as camping outside of the store until midnight, skipping Thanksgiving altogether.

“In my opinion, Black Friday shouldn’t be around anymore because it causes such an inconvenience when you are not actually participating in it, because any store you try and go to will most likely be packed and you can’t get anything you want,” freshman William Breslin said.

On the other hand, this event does offer some good deals for the cost effective christmas shopper because it allows them to save money on the things they need or want. If someone could not normally afford something and they wanted to give it to a family member for the holidays, Black Friday presents a wonderful opportunity to obtain it.  It has been proven that people will take the opportunity to get good deals – a whopping $1.964 billion was spent online last year on Black Friday, and $12.3 billion was spent in store sales. For more of last year’s Black Friday statistics, click here.

“In my honest opinion, Black Friday is good to have as a holiday event. Sure, it’s a lot of chaos but you get amazing deals on items you couldn’t afford before. Not only that, it is an unforgettable experience when you camp outside stores with all your friends or family. It’s truly one of our American traditions.  Not everything can go perfectly – we should just accept that and have fun,” junior Chris Crawford said.

However, the mobs that formulate outside of the retailers that offer black friday deals can get quite intense. In all the rush to find the 25% off computer, you could get trampled by a bunch of people who are on the same mission. For your normal friday shopper, it is never fun but quite usual to be trampled while looking at some items.

“I think it’s a fun experience especially if you like shopping. There are great deals. There are people who normally couldn’t afford what the stores sell, but on Black Friday they can,” sophomore Tania Nieto said.

Although Black Friday does have its benefits, it can also be a drawback in a lot of ways. Fortunately there is a safer and less known event called Cyber Monday. Cyber Monday has become increasingly popular in recent years due to the consistency of online shopping. Most all large online retailers participate in the off branch of the Black Friday tradition. Enjoy a nice holiday weekend with family, avoiding the chaos of Black Friday. Great online deals will be waiting for you on Monday.