After Thanksgiving is over and we begin to prepare for the long winter, the holiday season falls upon us. One example of this seasonal transition is Black Friday. Black Friday takes place on the Friday after Thanksgiving and attracts large numbers of shoppers to many stores across the nation. During the day, shoppers visit stores to buy products for their own use or gifts for the holidays at very low prices. This “holiday” is so popular, that in 2013, a total of $57,400,000,000 was spent items. While it may be beneficial to some to get the holiday shopping done early, Black Friday can also be a danger to shoppers and a waste of time.

Although Black Friday may seem to be relatively new phenomenon, it has been around for decades. For years millions of shoppers have rushed to the nearest stores to find the best deals on Christmas and Hanukkah gifts. Due to this, many forms of media such as newspapers, magazines, televisions, and websites often call this Friday “the busiest shopping day of the year.”

While many people end up leaving the stores with most of their holiday shopping done, some are not as lucky. In 2008, a crowd of impatient shoppers trampled a Wal-Mart employee to death and also injured other workers. Two years later, a woman was arrested for cutting in line at a “Toys R Us” and threatened to shoot other shoppers who objected to her. Since 2006, seven deaths and 98 injuries have occurred during Black Friday. From these numbers, it can be derived that Black Friday puts many shoppers and workers at risk due to the uncontrollable crowds pursuing low prices in popular stores. However, people still continue to shop on this day every year regardless of these past tragic events. If companies do not improve their security for Black Friday, the number of injuries will only continue to increase.

Another problem with shopping on Black Friday is the interminable lines. At most retail stores such as Wal-Mart or Target, shoppers may end up spending more time in the line than actually shopping. In order to be first in line and avoid long waiting times, people sometimes camp out in tents days in advance. Since Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday, these people choose to wait in a line over spending time with family members, even though Thanksgiving is all about spending time with others.

To conclude, Black Friday is a very popular shopping day that gets attention for both good and bad reasons. Although people may end up completing their holiday shopping early and for less money, they also put themselves at risk for injury. In my opinion, a much better way to spend Thanksgiving break is to spend time with family and go shopping online, during Cyber Monday where there are also store discounts. By doing this, people will be able to complete their holiday shopping and spend time with family and friends.