The problems of Black Friday

Black Friday is a shopping event where everything from clothes to electronics is on sale. It always occurs the day after Thanksgiving, and many people participate in it to save money. However, it is not as glamorous as it sounds. Every year, fights break out over items on sale and workers are overworked. Black Friday has always been dangerous and will continue to be until something is done.

Many customers are unable to get what they want, as items often go out of stock because of the mass of shoppers that swarm stores. Due to this, fights can break out over these items. Thousands of videos have been posted showing mobs fighting over these deals. During these fights, people get hurt and some even die. A great deal is never worth a life, and Black Friday should not encourage that.

Many students at the school have started working at retail stores and find out Black Friday is another source of stress for them. With the huge influx of customers, an insane amount of work is heaped upon workers. They have to deal with rude customers who get angry over not getting the deals they want and long lines filled with impatient customers. Many workers already have enough problems to deal with such as family or school responsibilities, and Black Friday is another heavy burden they have to deal with.

Those who love Black Friday often argue that it saves people a lot of money, yet a lot end up spending more money than they would have because of fake deals and lower-quality items. Many stores have fake deals where the discounted price is higher than the original price. They do this by marking up the price of items before Black Friday, so  when Black Friday comes, they mark down the price. Unknowing customers see a big markdown and believe they are saving money when, in reality, they are paying more than they should. Additionally, many of the items bought are of lower quality than usual. Corporations save money on the product itself and make more because the customer pays more than they should.

Black Friday has always had these problems, and consumers continue to spend their money because they are oblivious to the hidden problems of Black Friday. Corporations are at fault in their practice of questionable business ethics. Stores should be more transparent with their prices, and consumers should know the price behind those savings. Perhaps less people will participate in Black Friday when they see the truth, saving people’s lives and taking a bit of the Black Friday burden off workers.