It might not be recognized as a national holiday, but the day after Thanksgiving is a ritual in its own way to some.
Black Friday – the Friday after Thanksgiving – is a much anticipated day for retail stores. Store owners extend business hours and offer the best deals of the year to attract shoppers looking for the best bargains.
It is not official but the day is called Black Friday because of a long-time idea that most stores are in debt (or in the red) before that day. Black Friday is thought to be the day the accounting department sees a net gain resulting in a profit.
According to the National Retail Federation, more than 140 million people made purchases on Black Friday in 2006, averaging around $360 per transaction. This was an increase of almost 19 percent from 2005.
University student and annual avid shopper Eliegh Robinson says it is an experience to go shopping and witness what happens.
“Basically I love shopping [on] Black Friday for the excitement and thrills,” Robinson said. “Seeing people outside waiting for low prices in the freezing cold is astonishing.”
Black Friday is one of the most profitable and busiest days for retail stores.
“It is really good for the economy because it helps maximize profits for different retailers,” Robinson said.
Even smaller, local stores experience more traffic due to this day.
Independently-owned Finders Records at 128 N. Main St. prepared for the day by making sure extra staff were there to help customers out.
“We usually schedule a couple more people so there is always someone at the register and some people on the floor to help customers find what they are looking for,” Finders manager Laura Fredericks said.
In addition to providing extra help and a friendly atmosphere, local businesses present different varieties in products, unlike a major retail store where they care to the public and not the individual’s need, said Sheri LaFontaine, manager of the children’s toy store Love and Learn at the Town Center at Levis Commons in Perrysburg.
Because her store offers lead-free toys, LaFontaine said it reassures buyers.
“It allows people to give gifts that are safe and they are comforted by them,” LaFontaine said.
One thing stores like Finders Records and Love and Learn do not have to deal with are the potential customers lining up and crowding the store’s entrance as early as dawn on Friday morning.
As restless customers wait outside mega retail stores hours before the store opens, animosity builds and people can get restless.
Bowling Green Wal-Mart cashier Jesse Bockhahn worked during Black Friday and noticed how crazy some of the customers can get.
Some people will do anything to get the gift they want by using their aggression and being possessive of certain gifts they “need” to have for their children or themselves, Bockhahn said.
“I don’t understand it how people can be so rude,” she said. “It’s not the Christmas spirit at all [because] it brings out the worst in people.”
By working in a mega retail store, Bockhahn has first-hand knowledge of how people are on this day and tries to avoid them at all costs.
“I think I would rather wait to buy whatever I need the day after even if I had to pay five or ten dollars more than deal with people,” Bockhahn said.
Bockhahn did not experience any brutality from customers this year, but said she heard some rumors.
Although Black Friday can be a pain for workers, it remains a customer’s Super Bowl.
“It’s the time of your life because it is the one day you get to race against and push people down to get to the product that you want,” Robinson said.
