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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCSB chapter.

It’s the holiday season, and you know what that means, right?! SALES! Yes, the beautiful word that gets us excited about buying things we don’t need and things we want but will probably never wear.

‘Tis the season to gear up and get our lawn chairs, warm jackets, and hot coffees ready so that we can bear those long lines and be one of the first people to get the best products at the “lowest prices.”

But isn’t that sad? We have reached a point where our excitement and joy for the holiday season stems from huge blowout sales, such as Black Friday, rather than the joy of knowing we are going to be spending quality time with our family? It’s come to the point where we no longer see the holiday season as a time of gratitude and joy but rather as an excuse to get worked up over red cups from Starbucks. We spend our day not around Thanksgiving dinner, but in a long line outside of a big brand retail store. We invest so much time and energy on materialistic things that we neglect what the true importance of the holiday season is.

Regardless of your political and religious stance on Thanksgiving, we can all agree that consumerism has taken over our own lives. It has gotten to the point that the holidays have turned into a commodity for big businesses to profit from. Unfortunately, as consumers, we have given ourselves up to the idea that we would much rather spend a joyful time getting discounts than being surrounded by the people who care about us the most. Since when have we used the holiday season as an excuse to deprive someone from sharing intimate and special time with their family, just so we can go shopping?

Instead of being grateful that YOUR family has the opportunity to be together, why not do something so more families can be together? Why not take back control of what the holiday season is really about and not let big businesses win?

Why not boycott Black Friday? Yes, I am speaking the unspeakable. But why can’t that be possible? People should be spending Thanksgiving Day with their loved ones and not getting ready to go to work. People should not be forced to work on a holiday without any holiday pay. People should not be forced to work an extensive long shift just to prepare the store for Black Friday. Most importantly, people should not be forced to work during the holidays so CEOs and the 1% can keep getting richer while they stay home and enjoy the holidays with their families and the struggling middle class sacrifices spending the holidays with their families just so they can keep their minimum wage job.

You might be thinking, “But some stores do not open on Thanksgiving Day,” but do not be fooled. Some stores may not be open on Thursday, but they will have employees come in that day in order to get the store ready for Friday. Together, we can take back the holiday season and have it truly be a wonderful time of year.

Stores such as JC Penny, Kohl’s, Best Buy and Target have all announced that they will be opening sometime around 5 and 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. During dinner time on Thanksgiving, you’ll be surrounded by your loved ones, eating the most amazing stuffing and there will be people, working to get stores ready for you to shop. After you are fully fed and rested, there will be employees, tired and hungry, that will still have a smile on their face after being constantly yelled at by several customers who will help you complete your purchase.

Below is a list of stores that you should consider boycotting this year’s Black Friday:

1. Wal-Mart

2. Victoria’s Secret

3. Target

4. Sears

5. Toys R Us

6. Macy’s

7. JC Penny

8. Kohl’s

9. Best Buy

10. Kmart

There are other stores, but these are the big ones. However, here are some stores that refuse to open on Thanksgiving Day and decided to remain closed in order for their employees to enjoy the holiday with their families.

1. Costco

2. Barnes and Noble

3. GameStop

4. Home Depot

5. H & M

6. Marshalls

 

These are some of the very few big brand stores that have some sort of an ethical and moral compass and have allowed their employees to enjoy the holiday.

Boycotting Black Friday seems impossible, but believe in the power of the people, the power of solidarity and fight against the big brand companies! Think about all of the mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, and cousins who are going to be spending Thanksgiving without their families, instead getting the store ready for you to enjoy ravaging through for your consumeristic-self. Think about boycotting. 

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Elizabeth Vasquez graduated from UC Santa Barbara back in 2016 with a BA in English. Elizabeth currently resides in the Silicon Valley area and works for Modern Luxury Silicon Valley magazine as a marketing & events coordinator. When she isn't working, Elizabeth enjoys dining out with friends, reading a book and spending time with her two dogs. See what she is up to on Instagram: @iamelizabethvasquez and on Twitter: @MissElizabethLV
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Kirby is a recent graduate from UCSB currently living in Los Angeles. As a proud Her Campus UCSB alum, she's happy to be back on the HC team covering one of her fave shows: "The Mindy Project." On any given day you can find her with her nose in a book (let's be real - it's a Kindle). In her free time, she likes petting dogs, binge-watching TV, and eating a lot of food. Find her on Instagram: @kirbynicoleb or @GirlBossEats.