For many of us, Thanksgiving is the one day of the year that we buckle down and make an effort to express our gratitude for all of the wonderful things in our lives.
After the holiday, we promptly go back to taking those things — whether it’s our family and friends, jobs, homes or access to education — for granted and complain about our lives for the remainder of the year.
There’s no greater example of our tendency to disregard what truly brings us happiness than our immediate shift back to consumerism the day after Thanksgiving when crowds flock to stores across the country for the madness of Black Friday sales.
Throughout the years, store hours have increased to the point where Black Friday shopping now seeps into Thanksgiving day in most places, although state law prohibits that from being the case in Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Being from Connecticut myself, it’s not unusual to see stores packed at 8 p.m. on the holiday when others may still be eating their pumpkin or pecan pie.
Aside from dealing with long lines and trying to maneuver through crowds, those who shop on Black Friday may be dealing with more than just a stress headache. They could be putting their lives at risk.
Remember that bizarre story about a Walmart employee who was killed when he was trampled by a stampede of Black Friday shoppers who rushed into the Long Island store when it opened at 5 a.m.?
Well, it turns out that’s not such an uncommon occurrence, which shouldn’t be surprising when you consider what lengths people will go to for material possessions.
There’s even a website devoted to the darker side of Black Friday, which the creator has ominously called “Black Friday Death Count.” The site keeps a tally of deaths (12), and injuries (17), that have been directly caused by the day’s shopping since 2006. There’s even a facetiously titled “Honorable Mentions” section for deaths that occurred on the day, but weren’t directly related.
When all of that is taken into consideration, is getting a head start on Christmas presents or buying that long desired coat or electronics device at a discount really worth it?
My advice: save yourself some unnecessary stress, skip the crowds and wait a couple of days to log online and get those same discounts on Cyber Monday. You’ll thank me later.
