Dear Retailers,
We need to have a talk. I have been Black Friday shopping for years. I can still recall the day when my dad bought me a doll the same size as me for about $15! It was one of the only days out of the year that I could stay up past my bedtime, and watch the night turn into day as I shopped around.The excitement of the people was very contagious as everyone rushed around and bought gifts that they knew their families would enjoy. Now that I have grown up, I can see the world through entirely different eyes. As I look on the internet, I can see that stores have begun to open earlier and earlier on Thanksgiving, starting at 3 p.m. Have you ever heard the saying “Life is short?” Well this is what you need to remember as you open your stores at 3p.m on Thanksgiving. It is understandable that Black Friday is one of your largest shopping days of the season, and it is understandable that you probably want to beat the others stores so customers will give you their money instead. However, it is not understandable that you pull workers away from their families before they have time to eat with their families. It is not acceptable that people’s family members have come to visit them but workers must leave their families. People feel pressured to shop now because they feel they may not get the same deals later. You are rushing us through our lives, diving straight into Holidays before Thanksgiving is done, and even beginning the hype for the Holidays before Halloween has been removed from the shelves! Instead of trees in November, where’s the “I am thankful for…” signs? The meaning of this holiday season is to give and to be thankful. You didn’t even slow down for a few minutes to let people understand and appreciate this. What is all around people in society is money hungry stores lunging at the chance to bring in customers. You can at least set up some advertisements reminding people what this season is about because “Merry Presents,” and slogans such as these produce the wrong effect. We know you want to succeed – we all do – but there are better ways in doing so and better plans that can be created to improve Black Friday. Stick with Friday, and let people have their family time. But you are not the only one to blame in all of this, which is why:
Collegiates we need to have a talk, too. I know you probably go Black Friday shopping to get your families all the presents you know they would love. If your uncle, cousin, or aunt came to visit, I am sure they would rather have a few extra hours with you, rather than you leaving to buy them the latest technology. Is it really worth saving extra money to miss out on family time? As you go through this season, try to remember the reality of what the season is truly about. It is not about buying the largest thing you can find for your family and checking off all their list items. It is about family and the joy of giving. Remember, it’s the thought that counts. So put thought into what you’re doing, and remember your family. Thanksgiving is the time you eat with your family and laugh and learn more about them. You never know how much longer any of your family members have, and it would be better to have spent your potential last holiday with them – actually with them.
We all need to slow down. There is no need to rush into the seasons. The world cannot always be about saving money and making money. We need to take the time to breathe, relax, understand, and appreciate the life we have as well as the family we have to share it with.