When you hear the phrase Black Friday often what comes to mind are big deals, long lines, and aggravated shoppers.

In contrast, Black Friday was used to describe a financial crisis in 1869 when two men tried to take over the New York Gold Exchange. But what is Black Friday really about today? How does it affect the conjoining holiday of thanksgiving?

Black Friday consist of retailers opening doors at 12, midnight. Some even open as early as 8pm to compete with other stores. This means most shoppers will wait outside or even camp out of the store. So what does this have to do with thanksgiving?

It puts a time limit on thanksgiving and pressures family to have thanksgiving dinner earlier to get out in time for the event. This takes away time from family bonding and even rest; since the prime time of shopping is at 1am.

“Black Friday does take time away from appreciating your family. In my case, all my siblings left right after Thanksgiving dinner to go shopping. It definitely takes the value of giving thanks away. Maybe it would be better to move it to a different day in the year so it doesn’t clash with Thanksgiving,” said David Florio (’19).

Another problem about Black Friday is the elderly often join their family for thanksgiving but aren’t usually up for rushing around Target or pushing past people at Best Buy. It’s just not the ideal scene for them, yet often, they are left at home.

 A lot of altercations happen during this event. Disputes about who saw what first, prices and theft are huge players in this chaotic night.

Ahliyah DeMiguel (19’) has to say this about her shopping experiences.

“This Black Friday, I went to two different places. I went to San Francisco and also the Stoneridge Mall here in Pleasanton. Both places were extremely busy and had lines going outside their stores. I didn’t see any fights, but people were extremely on edge and disrespectful.”

Overall, Black Friday is a tradition that many people enjoy, but agree that it would make Thanksgiving more about giving thanks rather than getting a good deal on a dishwasher.