Pro

by Lyssette Trujillo

The day after Thanksgiving, known as Black Friday, has become a tradition for millions of Americans. It is the day that stores, across the country, bring out their huge flashy sale signs to attract customers. It is also the day of big savings. Things are marked down and some stores even give out freebies.

So, many may be asking themselves, “Is Black Friday really worth it?” Waking up before dawn and dealing with the chaos in the streets and the stores. You could be doing more productive things such as cleaning up the house after the Thanksgiving feast that went occurred the night before, or just recovering from the food coma you may still be suffering from.

The answer to that question is a definite yes. The deals that start that Friday after Thanksgiving are unquestionably worth waking up before the sun comes up and putting that cleaning aside for a later time, so you can get an early start on that holiday shopping. The deals are undeniable.

Some of the bigger stores are Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Target. These are the stores people usually go to, and the ones that receive the most customers on this hectic day. Expect to save big on electronics; especially televisions and GPS devices are hot items.

There are always the people who wait outside the store hours before it opens to get the best deals. If you are not up for camping out in the cold, you can still go in after the store opens and still find great deals. With the economy the way it is, any discounts are good. $3 DVDs and GPS devices under $100 are staples on this day. Shopping for holiday gifts can all be knocked out during Black Friday.

Websites like www.bxzlackfriday2010.com have all the ads for the big stores for Black Friday. Planning ahead of time helps by keeping you organized, and makes going from one store to another much easier. It will also help you by letting you know which items will be the best deals of the year.

Not only will you be saving some money, but also the excitement that comes with this tradition is great. So, get yourself ready because this year Black Friday is said to be the biggest one yet.

Con

by Laura Bradley

It has become a tradition among Americans, to forgo Thanksgiving desert in favor of donning cap and coat,  and venturing out into the frigit night air to stand in the cold of Novermber, clinging to mugs of hot chocolate as though they where life rafts, and waiting until the predawn with money burning holes in their pockets.

Black Friday has been the number one source of holiday shopping since 1966, but it is less of a gift, and more of a curse. People have been injured during dangerous Black Friday stampedes, and in other parts of the country, people have been killed because someone pushed them under-toe in order to buy something. Since 2008 there have been three recorder deaths, and dozens more injuries because of this sick holiday.

How many people forgo dinner with their families in order to stand outside all night in front of a Wal-Mart just to get a good deal on a little holiday shopping. If more people thought ahead, there would be no Black Friday. Put your items on layaway people, and do it back in June when everything is less expensive, and you can pay off a little at a time, and by the time the holidays roll around, you won’t have to worry about anything but spending time with your family. Your family is not going to be more appreciative of you because you stepped on someone in order to buy them a new phone.

The holidays are about being together with family, and being thankful for everything life has given us, that why they call it Thanksgiving, after all. Hanukah, or Chanukah, commemorates the rededication of the Holt Temple, not the low prices at Sears. Yule celebrates the death of the Oak King and the reign of the Holy King, not who can beat the other to a pulp to get the first swipe at the shiny new X-Box. Christmas is for remembering the birth of Jesus for some, and enjoying the innocent fantasy of Santa Claus for others, not arguing over who saw the fancy sweater first. Kwanzaa is to take pride in our African heritage, and to reflect on ways to better ourselves (which is something that should not just be reserved to Kwanzaa). Black Friday is a mockery of each of these, brought on my big time corporations to exploit the commercialism of the holidays and tear us away from what this time of year is really about.

Black Friday is a travesty on the east coast, and rather than waste your time with it, you should each be thinking of spending your time with you families.