A Mad Rush for Black Friday Shopping

Every year, Thanksgiving brings families together for a nice get together – a time to give thanks – and every year that third Thursday in November is followed by a chaotic dash for the best sale: Black Friday.

“I go for the excitement,” sophomore at the University of Maryland and three time Black Friday shopper Allison Bookstein said.

Excitement might be what Bookstein refers to when she thinks of Black Friday, but many other people steer clear of the stores on that day.

“I hear people go crazy at Black Friday shopping,” sophomore at the University of Maryland and three time Black Friday shopper Julianne Tice said. “They need to chill out. They’re just sales.”

For some people, Black Friday has become a long-standing tradition. Families go together and get gifts and items for the whole family.

“My dad and sister got me into it so now it’s just as much for the family time as it is for all the deals,” sophomore at the University of Maryland and nine time Black Friday shopper Rachel Norris said.

Black Friday has even become known for holiday shopping. Many people who haven’t bought gifts for friends and family use Black Friday as their opportunity to last minute shop and to get all of their holiday shopping done in one trip and for cheap.

“I always wait till the last minute to buy Christmas gifts, so Black Friday it is,” Tice said.

It’s not only a chaotic time for the customers, but it’s also hectic for the people who are working in the stores that are open during Black Friday. These stores can open early in the morning, before normal operating hours, sometimes 4 or 5 in the morning. Someone has to work in order for the customers to buy.

Maggie Koester, an employee of American Eagle and a sophomore at the University of Maryland, had her first Black Friday shift. She worked from 3-8 a.m. The thought of dealing with the chaos that is Black Friday made her nervous even though in past years she had visited her store during Black Friday and the customers were “actually friendly.”

Black Friday becomes an event for most of these people. Those who dare to brave the chaos often return.

“I mostly go Black Friday shopping because I love the atmosphere,” senior at the University of Maryland Amanda Robbins said. “I love digging around for items and finding the best deals.

This year made five years in a row that Robbins went Black Friday shopping. Black Friday is not a one-time experience it seems, no matter how chaotic it can get.