As people prepare their stomachs for Thanksgiving, they are also preparing their wallets. More than 154 million people went shopping on Black Friday in 2016, according to a National Retail Federation. But in the age of the internet, is Black Friday still the best day for deals? It is predicted shoppers will spend 47 percent more money on Black Friday this year than in 2016, according to Forbes.
Elon Junior Megan Herdt said, “A bargain is always a good thing and I mean yeah, there is stuff out there that’s like super expensive and black friday might be the only time where people do get to afford that kind of stuff.”
As the big shopping day approaches, recently, more people seem to be turning to “Cyber Monday” the Monday after Thanksgiving when online retailers offer deals. Black Friday was more popular in 2016 with 53 percent of people participating and only 39 percent in Cyber Monday, according to retailmenot.com. But this year, it’s predicted 56 percent will participate in Cyber Monday and only 52 percent in black Friday.
Elon freshman Luke Valdes-Rodriguez said, “Cause like Cyber Monday, you can’t really try on your clothes, you don’t really know exactly what you're getting,” despite the predictions.
In order to keep up with Cyber Monday, Black Friday sales have started earlier and earlier over the years. “Thanksgiving is to be a national Holiday dedicated to giving thanks and showing appreciation and being thankful for what you already have so trying to turn it into this huge bargain like mad hunt, I think is actually really disrespectful,” said Herdt.