We’ve all heard of the atrocities that take place on Black Friday. The mobs of people searching for the new hot items of the season. Now, stores have started opening on Thanksgiving in an attempt to slow down the mass of people from flooding into their stores. Black Friday is notorious for sparking brawls and conflicts over heavily desired items.

Black Friday is ridiculous to me. I get that you have a limited window to pickup desired items and there is not an unlimited stock but I think it’s crazy to fight someone over a TV or a brand new Xbox One. The locomotion and fiery tempers are not limited to technology either. I’ve seen many a conflict arise over a dispute regarding furniture or even kitchenware. With the introduction of stores opening on the Thursday before Black Friday, I see that people are eager to rush from their Thanksgiving dinner to the nearest Best Buy or Walmart. I think that is simply outrageous.

A total of ten people have died due to arguments or fights on Black Friday, but that’s not all 111 people have been injured all in the span of 11 years. To me, it’s crazy that people are willing to die or get seriously injured for some ‘deals and steals’.

There are safer alternatives such as Cyber Monday, and many of the stores that open early for Black Friday also have an extensive list of online deals. Often times, the same deals that are offered in the store, are offered online proving that it is pointless to fight fellow shoppers for hot items.

Another reason to disregard Black Friday is because it simply takes away from the family time that many travel in the name of during the holidays. By this, I mean that stores opening their doors on Thanksgiving pull people away from their families and right into the Black Friday battlefields. The whole idea of opening stores on Thanksgiving seems like a good idea at a glance but there is so much more to it. These stores and companies have to hire employees to work these Thanksgiving shifts meaning that less people are spending time with their families and instead they are either storming the gates or holding down the fort.

Thanksgiving is not only a time for a delicious feast, but it is a time to spend with your family in good spirit. I feel that this modern day Black Friday encourages not only violence in the stores, but this crazed shopping holiday also encourages one to abandon their family in search of the famed Black Friday prices.