This is an opinion article and does not necessarily reflect the views of The Hullabaloo.

The idea of Black Friday dates back to the 20th century, but in recent years the event has become extreme. This year, many major stores opened their doors as early as 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. Instead of giving thanks for what we already have, like the holiday intends, people across America are now using this day as an excuse to buy more.

Additionally, many associate Black Friday with people waiting in the cold for hours before entering the stores, only to be trampled as crowds run around looking for deals. Black Friday deals should only occur following the end of the Thanksgiving holiday and should be more limited in a manner that lessens consumerism and chaos.

Many stores had impressive Black Friday offers that began in the late afternoon and early evening of Thanksgiving. At this time, people celebrating the holiday would normally be finishing up the cooking and enjoying a dinner with family and friends. Though people question the origins of Thanksgiving and argue that this holiday should not determine whether or not people should be able to shop the next day, it is important to remember that employees across the country had to come to work on Thanksgiving to help fuel consumerism in America. While shoppers make a choice to spend Thanksgiving in a store rather than around tables at dinner with their families, employees are often forced to spend their holiday away from home.

Black Friday has become notorious for the greed that it sparks, as grown adults begin fighting over various items. Success means buying as much as possible. In response to this appalling consumerism and materialism, organizations around the world have created campaigns such as “Buy Nothing Day,” where consumers attempt to limit the damage caused by Black Friday by choosing to go 24 hours without buying anything.

Deals associated with Black Friday should not be so dramatic as to encourage such aggressive and ridiculous behavior. Sales of some sort will persist because it has become a tradition, but they should be lessened to decrease the amount of traffic and barbarity the day always seems to bring.

Black Friday has gone too far.

This day of shopping must no longer occur on Thanksgiving Day in recognition of employees who would prefer not to spend the holiday dealing with rowdy customers and should be limited drastically. Consumers and businesses must take steps to ensure that the chaos and increased consumerism on this day does not have such a significant effect on everyone having to witness this Thanksgiving tradition.

 Robin Boch is a student at Newcomb-Tulane College and can be reached at [email protected].