I didn’t always participate in the mass shopping experience Black Friday is known to be, but once I started I couldn’t stop.
Black Friday is known for lines out the door, fist fights over TVs, and crazy sales. But when I went out this year I saw “25% off” signs and a medium line that stayed in the store’s walls. There were a lot of people, but no fist fights broke out around me, no running for a 50% off sale. The hype around this once-glorious day of shopping, I saw, is gone.
I used to wake up at five in the morning to go to the Tanger Outlet Mall, this year I woke up at nine and started at Target before going to Woodland Mall for about two hours. There was no rush or a hue of excitement surrounding me or anyone else, really.
The consumer culture we live in today has made it so that Black Friday deals are now sales you would see on an average Tuesday. I walked away from cute clothes because I could go get them for the same price in a week and have a shorter line to wait in. I was thoroughly disappointed—and then I saw the sales online: 50% off of Sephora, Pandora, and more.
Today, everyone online shops. Why wouldn’t they when Jeff Bezos can send them a toothbrush and Lego set in a day?
Online shopping is easy, efficient, and gives me a huge shot of dopamine. I prefer to buy clothes in person (I hate making returns so I like to try clothes on first), but I still love scrolling through online stores while lying on the couch.
The Black Friday hype has been moved to Cyber Monday. I don’t know if this is a good thing though.
It’s good for retail workers because they won’t have such a hectic shift and have to deal with a plethora of rude customers, but online shopping does not provide them with a tip, which is good for the customer who is probably already spending a good bit of money. It’s good for traffic. There are fewer people speeding like crazy to get to stores, so there are fewer crashes and fewer backups which is good for everyone. Also if people are shopping for the holidays, they have to wait a little bit for their purchases to be shipped and then when they arrive in tightly shut boxes it is easier to wait until the holidays to enjoy the item.
The hype of Black Friday has moved to Cyber Monday, and I am sure it is a good thing.
Consumer culture is ever-growing with the hype of shopping hauls on TikTok and YouTube. This is especially seen after this weekend of sales, and I am positive there will be even more once people’s Cyber Monday purchases are delivered. I can’t wait to see what sales were better online than in person, and where I should look online next year.
Cyber Monday has great sales and no people, so the title of the best day of shopping may have to be crowned to a new day this year and will most likely stay on Monday for years to come. I may still go out on Black Friday next year, but it is more likely people will catch me on the couch shopping online and skipping the lines.
