Ignore Black Friday. Stay Put this Thanksgiving.
posted by Cassandra Carter | November 25, 2015 | In News, OpinionThis Thursday, many Americans will be settling down with families and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving. After sleeping off the food coma, some will say good bye to their loved ones as they head off to work that night.
According to an Allstate/National Journal poll, roughly 1 in 4 people will be working on either Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s. These people include healthcare professionals, police officers, and retail workers.
Every year, there are debates and protests against stores opening up on Thanksgiving, some as early as 3 p.m. Cross Creek Mall will be opening at 6 p.m this Thanksgiving, which for many workers means that they will have to cut their Thanksgiving short with family.
One of the arguments for businesses being open on Thanksgiving, is it gives employees the opportunity to get a bigger paycheck even though for some it isn’t a choice but a requirement. Kmart was in hot water this season for demanding that all employees would work the holiday season or they would be terminated.
For some, just the thought of Black Friday angers them. The hypocrisy that just a day before everyone was giving thanks for their family, friends, and life, and then at midnight they run into a store to gather up $10 box sets of TV shows. Why we even do it?
In 2008, at a Long Island Walmart, over 2,000 people managed to push open the doors before the store was officially opened and in the process trampled an employee to death, according to the New York Times. Every year, there are reports of violence during Black Friday.
Fayetteville hasn’t been left out of the Black Friday spirit. In 2011, two men fired shots inside Cross Creek Mall, close to the food court, but luckily no one was injured, according to WRAL. These types of stories pop up all over the country this time of year.
If you must go out Thanksgiving or Black Friday this year for shopping, make sure you get plenty of sleep and there aren’t any children with you. Many accidents occur when shoppers are running on three hours of sleep and fall asleep at the wheel. According to a 2012 Los Angeles Times article, parking related accidents go up 37 percent on Black Friday. Insurance company Progressive says that it is one of the worst days of the year for parking-related accidents.
But if you can hold off, enjoy the time with family and friends. Skip the long lines and angry customers, support the local businesses who don’t demand their employees go to work at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving. Fayetteville has many independent businesses who will have sales.
Is buying cheap items worth your sanity?
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