With the upcoming rush of holidays, businesses are looking forward to the busiest shopping day of the year: Black Friday. Black Friday will fall on Nov. 29 this year. The day is known for its plethora of sales, and people often line up the day before to get there early.
Over the years, Black Friday has been a controversial subject because of the unfair working hours for employees, as well as the injuries that occur. There was even a death in 2008 when shoppers trampled a Wal-Mart employee. Even though there has been no serious violence around the DC area, the large crowds provide ample potential for something bad to happen.
Despite the reccent scrutiny, however, many people still participate in Black Friday. In 2012 the National Retail Federation reported that the total money spent was 59.1 billion dollars, which was a 6.6 billion increase from last year.
“I wanted to get good deals on cute clothes with my friends,” senior Sarah Canann said. She went Black Friday shopping last year.
For others, shopping on Black Friday is tradition.
“It’s a family tradition where we go out and buy cheap stuff” senior Rahul Reddy said.
Some stores during black Friday are criticized for being unfair to employees. Last year, Wal-Mart workers when on strike after being forced to work overtime by store owners.
“One time, while waiting for a store to open, there was a huge crowd.” Canann said, “people were elbowing and trying to weave their way to the front.”