Black Friday: Extreme Deals or Extreme Danger?

Quinn Padovani, Layout Artist

Black Friday is a day that people
have waited patiently the entire year for. A
day of ultimate deals and bargains that does
not necessarily have to break the bank. 20%
off this, 40% off that, 50% off your entire
purchase! Some of the deals you can get on

Black Friday are simply amazing and I will
be covering it all throughout this article.
This year, Black Friday falls on November
24, that means that most likely people
will be camping out hours, if not days
earlier, in front of Targets, Walmarts, and
other stores all across the nation in hopes of
being first in line to getting these great deals,
and hopefully at least partially avoiding the
mobs of people that will follow them.
These mass mobs of people that
storm into stores are by far the scariest
part of Black Friday. Last year, according
to blackfridaydeathcount.com, there were
three reported deaths and ten reported injuries
during the 2016 Black Friday. Of these,
there were two people shot dead, and another
beaten to death. It’s a scary proposition to
go into Black Friday knowing that you might
be hurt or in the worst case, killed, while
attempting to get some good deals. This is
why many people wait for Cyber Monday to
get their deals online in the safety of their
home.
Straying away from the darker side
of Black Friday, I interviewed some of our
very own Falls Church students on their
plans as well as opinions on Black Friday.
Ashley Rodriguez (10) states that “I think
Black Friday is a great opportunity to get all
sorts of things at a lower cost. I won’t be going
shopping this year because lines are usually
extremely long.”
On the same note, Abby Tran (10),
explains, “I think Black Friday is a great experience
for many people because you can
get items for a low price and also spend time
with family and friends in the process.”
In summary, Black Friday has its upsides
and its downsides, but if you are extremely
serious about getting that new TV,
then Black Friday is the holiday for you.

Eager shoppers wait outside a New York City
store, ready to buy holiday gifts.
(Courtesy of the Wikimedia Project)