Is Black Friday Awesome or Overrated?

Thanksgiving has arrived and so has the biggest shopping day of the year — Black Friday. Historically this is the beginning of the season when retailers start to turn a profit, so they do everything in their power to lure buyers into the stores. Each year, retailers have been opening earlier and earlier on the second day of the long weekend, rolling back hours first to 6 a.m., then to 4 a.m. and then to midnight on Thanksgiving as of 2011.



Now, retailers like Walmart, Sears, Toys “R” Us and Target are catching a lot of flack for announcing they will open at 8 or 9 p.m. on Thursday to begin their Black Friday sales. Allegedly the chains argue that the customers have requested the earlier hours. Still anyone savvy about shopping on the big day, knows you have to be in line long before the store opens to get the best deals, which means skipping the turkey and bringing your sleeping bag to the mall.

But is this all just a big scam? These days, many retailers are advertising Black Friday deals available the week before the holiday. And shoppers getting gifts online via Cyber Monday, which was born a few years back, are giving Black Friday a run for its money. Add to that the fact that it’s more and more difficult to escape Black Friday unscathed with the rash of assaults and tramplings that occur on the consumer’s favorite day of the year. So what do you think? Is Black Friday awesome or overrated?