Black Friday: Is It Worth It?

Black Friday commences the start of the holiday shopping season, with sales “up to 50 percent off” from stores like Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s. The sales craze starts at midnight as shoppers form lines numbering more than a 100 people outside stores that open when the clock strikes 12 A.M.

In some stores (Urban Outfitters is known for this), the sales have prices 25 dollars or lower, drawing shopping zombies in at 4 in the morning. A mom shopping with her daughter compared Urban Outfitters to a “madhouse”, as guys and girls sprinted to the sales section to grab a hold of whatever they could find.

This year, I decided to test the madness myself, arriving at UO a few minutes before opening. The first thing I attempted was searching for the end of an endless line into the store. As I watched the masses of hipsters march through the doors, I mentally prepared myself for war. Upon arriving at the sales corner, I slowly slipped myself through the mob of people swaying back and forth to the sweet sound of five-dollar scarves. Sweaters flew in the air as those at the front of the crowd threw clothes to the less-fortunate in the back. Once I had more clothes than I could carry, I quickly headed to the fitting rooms before lines starting forming there too.

You would think that the worst parts about Black Friday are the mile-long lines, but in UO, it was the best. Waiting in the snaking lines allowed you to go through the store one more time and find items in the mounds of the clothes on the floor (the racks were barren by this time).

So I ask you Barons, “Is it all worth it?”

My answer is yes, depending on the store. (Some stores raise their prices by 10 dollars a few weeks before so the prices seem discounted by the time Black Friday comes along).

My advice is to go with a buddy so you can tag-team; one person would wait in line while the other finds things, then vice versa.

Good luck and happy holiday shopping!