Every year, after Thanksgiving dinners and festivities, shoppers swarm to shopping malls to participate in the bargain-hunting craze known as Black Friday.
The sale on clothes, video games, and other knick-knacks are what attract most Aragon students to Black Friday. Sophomore Collin Liu says, “I usually buy boxers and shoes on Black Friday, [but] I bought so many things, I can’t remember.” Liu’s experiences during Black Friday have also been lucky, Liu says, “I found 20 bucks on the floor once, so I bought two shirts.”
Sophomore Landers Ngirchemat needed clothes on Black Friday. Ngirchemat says, “I want to go with my brother and sister to go get a sweater and shoes.” Ngirchemat started Black Friday shopping in the sixth grade. Ngirchemat found good deals in past Black Fridays, “I got Assassin’s Creed 2 for the PS3 for just five bucks.”
Freshman Anneke Struble shopped for clothes this Black Friday. “I’ve been going for five years,” Struble says. “I go with my friends, since who wants to go with their parents?” Struble shares a Black Friday experience she had. “[My friend and I] went to Hollister and we saw a model standing. My friend went to go and touch it, but the model wasn’t real.”
Freshman Darren Ma had other items he wanted to buy on Cyber Monday. Ma says, “I want a new graphics card, and they are usually very expensive but the discount [on Black Friday] brings the price down.”
Ma prefers to do shopping on his own. “My family gets clothes,” Ma says. “I don’t like getting clothes, especially with my mom.” Ma has never gone Black Friday shopping and wants his first purchase to be memorable.
Despite some strange experiences, sophomore Gavin Scheldrup has still been successful with his Black Friday shopping.
Scheldrup says, “I saw people camped out in front of Wal-Mart with shopping carts two days before Black Friday.” Scheldrup mentions, “I think I’ll get DLCs (Downloadable Content) on Steam like the last year, but my family once got a flat screen that should have been $1000 but we got the TV for $250 instead.”
Sophomore Charles Jayasinha also bought a TV. Jayasinha says, “I bought a TV for $200 when it should have been $300.” Jayasinha also saw some madness on Black Friday, Jayasinha says, “A little girl fell down, but she was okay. Someone pushed her aside, and no one helped her for some time.”
Violence on Black Friday is common where prices are very low. Shootings, stabbings, and brawls happen every Black Friday. Notably, there is a website that tracks all the deaths and injuries on Black Fridays. The website “blackfridaydeathcount.com” has tracked car crashes and stampedes since 2006 and provides links to information about the deaths and injuries.
Although violence may be a deterrent on Black Friday, the desire for good deals overpowers the fear of violence. The camaraderie bonds families.
