Every year, around the time Halloween is upon us, we start seeing ads about the supposedly amazing, doorbuster deals the upcoming Black Friday offers. After all, Black Friday is only a month away from Halloween, and even though we’ve grown up with the chaos that comes with it, we need to be reminded well in advance. I started noticing a change in the norm of Black Friday a few years ago, however that only seems to escalate every season, as Black Friday is now beginning on Thanksgiving.
My entire childhood, I grew up with Black Friday starting early in the morning at most stores. It seems 4 a.m. was the general time retailers would open their doors to the public hoping to save on Christmas gifts and toys for themselves. As the years passed, this time started getting pushed back a bit earlier and earlier to midnight. Once the clock struck 12 a.m. for the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday would begin. This would still give employees time to spend with their families for Thanksgiving, but it seems to be cut a little shorter than normal since they now have arrive at work by midnight.
I read two articles from two newspapers based in New York and New Jersey on this early Black Friday trend that discuss how over the past seven years retailers have begun a kind of race, opening earlier and earlier each year. Last year, however, this trend took a new turn with many stores nationwide deciding to open their doors on the evening of Thanksgiving. Many stores started opening their doors at 8 p.m. Thanksgiving evening, much to the ire of many workers and the general populace. This year, many of these same stores will once again offer Black Friday deals on Thanksgiving but even earlier than last year. Best Buy will open at 5 p.m., Macy’s at 6 p.m., Sears at 6 p.m. and Toys ‘R Us at 5 p.m.. Walmart, which stays open for 24 hours, will begin its Black Friday sale at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving.
Of the many issues we face with Black Friday, perhaps one of the most important issues is how the shopping “holiday” has begun encroaching upon the actual holiday of Thanksgiving, almost setting this fourth Thursday of November on the back burner. Thanksgiving has been a federal holiday since 1863, and while its original intentions were religious in celebration, it has become a day when Americans across the board celebrate thankfulness for their friends, family and all that they consider good in their lives. Aside from some of the controversies that surround this national holiday, the fact it is a nationally recognized day for Americans to enjoy time with family and friends without the troubles of work or school should be protected. Working on holidays like Thanksgiving is something that should be voluntary, and when large retailers take this option away from their employees, it delegitimizes the holiday and its meaning.