Terrified of being trampled for a television set that is 80% off for one day only? Those fears seem to be a thing of the past with current Black Friday installations. When I was a child, there were a few traumas I thought would be much larger issues when I became an adult: tsunamis, quick sand, and Black Friday. Now that I am an adult, I don’t lose sleep over these topics like I used to. Black Friday circa 2008 was the most terrifying thing I could fathom for a decent part of my childhood, but was any of the carnage truly worth it?

Overconsumption has become a huge influence over acceptable behavior within our society. Restocking videos have become extremely common where they take items from the store that came in their own containers, like cereal and eggs, and put them into more aesthetic displays just for the sake of doing so. Buying attachments and appliances that only have one use have also increased overconsumption in our society. For instance, Ninja has a variety of products that only have one use and they are gigantic. Having both the Ninja Creami and the Ninja Slushi as a product when they both serve the same function is a lot of money that can be put towards other things. Ninja as a company definitely could find a way to merge both machines so that consumers could save money and counterspace. However, companies like to make money so having several products that are similar but not quite the same helps line their pockets.

Black Friday is a pseudo-holiday that is based on the primal need for humanity to get the best bang for their buck. Unfortunately, the world we live in is influenced by material gain and in these situations, that mindset comes first. Many of the injuries and deaths that stemmed from Black Friday are based on the principle that greed trumps our humanity. The National Retail Federation (NRF) reported that over 190 million people participated in Black Friday shopping in 2022 which is a record high. The Black Friday Death Count has a total of 17 deaths and 125 injuries that range from cuts and bruises to fractures and concussions. The most gruesome death that rattled our generation is the 2008 incident involving a Walmart employee getting trampled to death.

Knowing all of this, I was overcome with anxiety while waiting to work my first ever Black Friday in retail in 2019 at 16 years old. I had prepared for the worst with lines out the door and no breaks in sight, maybe even an injury or two. However, what I received in return was a perfectly normal day at work. There weren’t any outrageous sales or lines and I realized then that the Black Fridays I knew were far behind us. Even with all products being 50% off for the day, it was a relatively tame day. The lines for dollar flip flop day at Old Navy were longer. 

Consumers have noticed a significant dip in their Black Friday sales which begs the question, are the sales even worth it anymore? Despite this dip in sales, Black Friday still brings a significant price reduction on products and services as compared to a normal shopping day. According to WIRED, “Most of the time, Black Friday deals are the best we see all year, and they set the precedent for what dictates a good price in the months that follow.” They also mention how a lot of the sales tend to repeat every year. The Amazon Echo Dot and Google Nest Mini drop to around $20 every November leading to predictable and unexciting sales. Doorbusters used to be huge and were the primary factor of driving customers towards in-person shopping. These doorbusters are now few and far between and can even be found online depending on the company. 

When it comes to in-person shopping lately, it has been a dud. I went to Macy’s, Kohl’s, and Old Navy within the past month and their in-person selection, especially in plus sizes, are extremely lacking. Normally, upon entering the store, there are a ton of different selections. I noticed this time that many of the colors and sizes they carry online are not carried in store. For example, Old Navy has pairs of high-waisted, wide leg cargo pants which could not be found anywhere in the store in any color. Kohl’s business casual selection was dwindling as well. There were not many variations in style or color. Macy’s was a total ghost town. Their racks were half empty and the store was barren other than employees.

Cyber Monday seems to be the better option in recent years. Shopping online is extremely convenient for those with busy schedules. Its popularity increased significantly in the past few years due to the pandemic. Online shopping services like curbside pickup and same-day delivery for groceries are available everywhere. Amazon is cashing in on contactless purchasing with their usual delivery system being just as popular, if not more, in recent years. They also have grocery delivery from their Amazon Fresh stores where customers can shop without speaking to a single employee and have everything in their cart charged directly to their Amazon account instead of scanning items at checkout. Amazon Prime Day has also lost its rarity appeal. In 2024 they had their annual Prime Day in July and then had a second one in early October. 

I spoke with an employee of Holy Family, Kate Coffey, who noticed a shift in Black Friday attitude. Coffey says in recent years, she finds herself shopping more online than in person and that it is easier to surf from the comfort of her own space. She often feels frazzled and overwhelmed while shopping in person as there are different pressures with selecting. Coffey has participated in annual Black Friday shopping in the past where she reminisced on how fun and exciting it was since she stood in line with her family to get the best deals on new items. Her experience with Black Friday was relatively tame and did not include any of the scariness that is associated with the day. She spotted some pushing and shoving, but nothing too violent or over the top. 

Coffey also said she would participate again as it was something she looked forward to doing with her family. She suggests that when partaking in Black Friday sales, to have a plan and minimize “dilly-dallying.” When asked about the shift in Black Friday energy she said, “that stores and sites run all year specials now.  Some even start promoting Black Friday in September and October.  Every month there is some type of sale or special.  [Coffey] thinks it takes away from the excitement and builds up to the holiday season – thus not always making it worth it.  Sometimes [she] likes to shop small for these reasons.”

Now, many companies have decided that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are too short of a time for their shopping sales. They now have the idea of participating in their usual discounts the entire month of November. Having these sales all month long cuts down on the amount of people coming in at one time. Trunk or Treat has had the same effect over the years. Children traipse around church parking lots all month long so when it comes to the actual event, many of them are tired of Halloween or their parents don’t want them to go out for safety reasons. The same effect is happening with Black Friday. The experience is becoming diluted with the sales spread out throughout the month.

Even two weeks before Thanksgiving, every website I click on has a banner that says “Early Black Friday Deals.” Black Friday is constantly evolving to the point where we have a bunch of other “holidays” that come after like ‘Shop Small Saturday’ and ‘Green Monday’ have gained traction recently. It seems as if the concept of Black Friday has been diluted so much over the past few years that we should just call it Discount November. The excitement behind Black Friday has dwindled and the overall consensus of consumers is if they keep getting holiday sales, everyone stays happy. So let’s give three cheers for Discount November 2025 and enjoy our slightly higher than average discounts for a whole month!

(feature photo from patch.com)

Amanda Knipe is a senior English major with minors in Business Administration and Creative Writing. She is currently working with HFU’s literary magazine, Folio, as Editor in Chief.