Black Friday

Today is Thanksgiving! A day where families spend time together eating a huge meal at 3PM and watching the Macy's Parade. It's a day of thankfulness. It's more of an American holiday, but to me and many others it's a day where we give thanks to God for everything we've been blessed with. Sounds nice doesn't it? Sadly for many though, it's a day that's short lived. Many people are getting ready as soon as Dinner's over to either go to work or wait in line at a store. This upcoming day is known as Black Friday, a day that people get ready for after Thanksgiving and wait or work until Friday afternoon.

It's a day that stores have extremely low discounts on popular store items starting Thursday night and running until Friday afternoon. If you're like me, you've been flooded with ads from the mail, commercials, and emails about Black Friday. I've never visited any stores on a Black Friday before, and I can't go this year because I'm trying to save money, but my Dad is a regional manager at Macy's so he's getting ready to work tonight. The name originated in Philadelphia, describing the chaos of pedestrian and vehicle traffic the day after Thanksgiving. It has been widely popular since 2005. The name Black Friday has also been used for describing certain events throughout history that were disastrous, such as a massacre, a tornado, and a few riots. The name Black Friday does sound kinda evil, and you may have heard my fair share of complaints about that day, including how violent it can get every year, but there is some good that comes out of that day as well. So instead of telling you all the bad parts of Black Friday, I'll also tell you the good things that come from it.

Pros:

-Extra hours for employees and managers. For some workers, they get overtime pay and maybe even a bonus. A little extra money isn't a bad thing for many people.

-Huge discounts! There are deals such as an XBOX 360 with 3 games for free and big screen TVs for cheap. Blu Ray movies are $4 and video games are super cheap. If I had the money, I know I'd be tempted to go out and buy something. 

-It's a day people can buy nice things for loved ones for Christmas at a decent price.

-Most people don't wait in line alone, they get to spend a lot of time with their friends and family.

Cons: 

-Waiting. Waiting. And guess what?!?!? Even more waiting! You'll find yourself stuck in a long line for hours and hours just to get into the store, and then you'll find yourself waiting even longer in the checkout lanes. Especially if you're in the front of the line. There are people that camp out waiting in line so that they can increase their chances of getting something that will most likely be sold out fast.

-Extra hours for employees and managers. Yes there's also a negative side to working on Black Friday. You have to deal with customers that will most likely be more worked up than ever before due to waiting in line to get in the store. You'll also be combating sleep deprivation. If you're working tonight, stock up on Mountain Dew and 5 Hour Energy Drinks.

-People can be aggressive at outings like these. Just be careful not to provoke anyone.

-Nintendo waited too long to release the new Wii U. It didn't come out until 6 days ago. The black Wii U is more popular than the white Wii U, because it comes with more content, including more memory and Nintendo Land. Most stores are already sold out of the Wii U, so don't hold you're breath that you'll find the Wii U you want tonight.

The new Nintendo Wii U

If you're working tonight or are planning to shop, I'll be praying for all of you that you'll be safe and sound. Have a good Thanksgiving everyone!