Black Friday is a major annual event that attracts the increased attention of the public. On the first Friday after the holiday of Thanksgiving, most stores offer serious discounts to mark the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. In numerical terms, these discounts may officially be within the range of 50-70%. As a result, customers have a unique opportunity to purchase their desired goods and holiday presents at affordable rates. However, this essay argues that the initial concept of Black Friday has been abused by marketers with little or no benefits for the clients. The actual discount rates tend to be exaggerated by stores, which, in turn, creates unrealistic expectations and dangerous crowds of shoppers. Thus, Black Friday in its current state is a negative occurrence that needs to be reworked or eliminated.
From one perspective, Black Friday is a positive initiative that seeks to meet the interests of both buyers and sellers within the economic framework. Traditionally, holiday seasons is a major stress for the purchasing power of the population. The necessity of purchasing gifts for the family and friends often leaves customer searching for the best offers in the markets. The initial concept of Black Friday sought to address this situation by opening the holiday season with increased discounts. From their perspective, the added value on discounted prices will still be enough to cover the expenses, considering that otherwise there would not be a purchase at all. At the same time, customers are able to prepare more interesting gifts for their beloved ones while avoiding a dire financial situation by the end of the year.
On the other hand, the value of Black Friday in its current state appears to be highly overrated. Historically, the announced discounts were, indeed, true, which built the trust of the customer base. People became accustomed to the offers of this season, rightfully expecting to see considerable value in Black Friday purchases. Nevertheless, today, marketers seem to abuse these expectations by tempering with their prices at the beginning of the holiday shopping season. Observations suggest that prior to announcing these discounts, certain outlets tend to increase the proclaimed original price beyond reasonable limits to make the final rate appear profitable. As a result, customers are misled into making massive purchases on the basis of lies and dishonest marketing.
In addition, the image of Black Friday is compromised by the association with crowds that fill stores on this day, creating a dangerous environment in terms of physical health. Following the experience and rumors, people form lines at the entrances to shopping venues, most of which are not suited to host these amounts of visitors at once. In pursuit of good-value offers, customers often behave in an uncivilized manner, pushing and hurting each other physically with a non-verbal consent of the staff. With crowds of people filling the narrow aisles, such a potentially dangerous situation may become a full-scale stampede with casualties. Combined with the exaggerated value of modern Black Fridays, the circumstances are highly unfortunate and even criminal.
Overall, the original design of Black Friday as a concept is inherently positive, as it serves to promote the interests of both sides of the trade. Customers can complete their holiday-season purchases with better rates, while the stores generate revenues through higher sales. However, modern marketers often abuse the reputation of Black Friday, creating unrealistic expectations. This way, buyers are misled by forged prices that are barely lower than regular. When crowds of visitor fill stores, the situation escalates, often including physical violence and the danger of stampede. Ultimately, Black Friday in its current state combines the abuse of its reputation with dishonest marketing practices that forms a negative situation around it. Thus, this event needs to be reworked or even canceled to prevent further complications.