Black Friday has always been a sacred day for my mom and I, it’s something we always do together and have the best time. I remember we would stay up watching TV or playing cards to rush over to the mall at 10:45 PM to start waiting in line for the mall to open. It would always be crazy and full of people when the doors would open, we’d have to rush to our favorite stores to get in first. Then I’d get home around 3 or 4 AM and go straight to bed, and when I would wake up in the afternoon I’d do a haul showing my dad and brother everything we got while they were asleep. The best part was telling them the price. This year, and for the past couple of years, Black Friday has been different.I hope it isn’t just me who thinks this.
I can understand that during the pandemic, Black Friday was only online, but the pandemic is over! So tell me, why does the mall open at 6:00 AM now instead of midnight. Not only that, but it seems brands are also forgetting what Black Friday means. I personally don’t think the deals were great this year, but there were some good ones like Madewell being 50% off, and Gymshark having a super sale with products being 70% off. However there were other brands, like Abercrombie that was only 25% off, and LuluLemon with no deals at all just adding products to their sale page that are max $20 off full price. It is super disappointing and it feels like the incentive is gone, especially in stores. I remember when stores would give free products, or there would be a really good deal only available in-store, and the first 25-50 people would be able to get it. Where did that go? There was nothing like that when I was shopping this year.
My mom and I ended up going to the mall at 5:30 AM, there were barely any cars in the parking lot, and there was no line. People were allowed to come in and just wait outside the store they wanted to go in, and it was a ghost town. Although I am complaining a lot there are some benefits to the new age of Black Friday. People who have to work Black Friday don’t have to work all night or deal with crazy people. You do get to shop in peace when you go early, and still have all your sizes available to you. There are no lines or stress, so the benefit now is a calmer experience. By the time my mom and I had hit everywhere we wanted to go it was 11 AM and the mall was starting to get extremely packed with huge lines and no parking. That was one part I don’t miss, people were ruthless when it came to parking.
I crave the craziness and adrenaline rush of Black Friday, but it was so nice to be able to shop calmly, try things on, and be able to hear my mom without yelling because it was so empty. I am sad that Black Friday is not what it used to be, but I think as I get older I will have an appreciation for this new version.