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Some students at the University of Florida supported changing the name of Black Friday when they believed that it might have some sort of negative connotation with regard to the black community. When they learned that race has nothing to do with the post-Thanksgiving shopping frenzy, they largely changed their minds.
What are the details?
Campus Reform reporter Ophelie Jacobson visited the Gainesville, Florida, college campus, where she surveyed students about their thoughts on the Black Friday moniker.
Citing a recent article from the Chicago Tribune, which published a reader-generated column of opinions claiming Black Friday discriminates against and profiles the black community, Jacobson said, "One of the sections claimed that Black Friday discriminates against or profiles black people, and that we should name the day to be 'Holiday Buying Day' or 'Spending Day.' What do you guys think of that?"
"Black Friday sounds offensive," one student told the reporter.
Another insisted, "I don't like the name Black Friday. I never really have, ever since I was small. Whenever I would go to the stores, everything would just be jam-packed, and I would see, like, workers kind of — it sounds wrong, but they would lean more toward the lighter skinned people. They would assist them."
Another added, "I'm cool with changing it."
"I never saw it that way," another student admitted, "but I don't have that lived experience. So if enough people think that it should be that way, then I don't see a problem with it."
What happened then?
Jacobson then went on to tell the students what Black Friday actually means.
"What if I told you that the term Black Friday has nothing to do with race?" she said. "When stores are in the red, it's said that they're not making any profits. So a lot of stores say they're in the red before the day after Thanksgiving, and once Black Friday hits, they're in the black, meaning they're turning profits now, because of all the sales. Should we still change it?"
One student responded, "Knowing what it actually means ... I don't think this is actually something that is offensive. People getting offended by it seems a little ... stupid. ... It has nothing to do with offensive or race or anything like that."
"I wouldn't change now, knowing the origins of Black Friday," another admitted.
Another student added, "No. I think nobody should overanalyze it. If it’s not about skin color, then I don’t see that there’s a problem.”
"If you just want to rename it to spare the feelings, that's not helpful," another student insisted.
Students Support Renaming "Black Friday", Until They Find Out The Name Has Nothing To Do With Race www.youtube.com
Small crowds, fewer deals, no chaos, shoppers say Black Friday is nothing like it used to be this year
Reports are coming in from all over the country that the long lines, buzzing crowds, and general chaos typical of Black Friday shopping is ... nearly non-existent this year.
While people are showing up at retail stores to shop in-person in far greater numbers than last year — before COVID-19 vaccines were widely available — shoppers and local news outlets posting to social media reported shorter lines and less chaos this Friday.
Goood #BlackFriday morning, Orlando! The shopping here began just a few ago, at 5! Not a huge crowd, counted 31 in line just moments before open. @MyNews13pic.twitter.com/ZVzvvtJyfx— Ashleigh Mills (@Ashleigh Mills) 1637922072
Popular big box retailers like Walmart, Target, and Best Buy, which are offering large sales and Black Friday deals today, are seeing moderate crowds, but nothing like the stampedes featured in viral videos in years past.
Black Friday shopping lines are forming outside many stores in Baton Rouge. We\u2019re live at Best Buy where doors just opened at 5 a.m.pic.twitter.com/WRaNih7Wrq— Cali Hubbard (@Cali Hubbard) 1637925300
Happy #BlackFriday from @Walmart in Elk Grove! Here\u2019s what it looked like right when the doors opened at 5am. No campers this year but one of the first people in line told me he got here at 1am! He said this line was nothing compared to the past 12 years. @ABC10pic.twitter.com/hi8iohkFxY— Lena Howland (@Lena Howland) 1637934362
Shoppers that spoke to Insider said they were able to get in and out of retail stores quickly, with one claiming they found what they wanted and were out in under 10 minutes. Another man said there were about 100 people in line at a Walmart store in Harrisonville, Missouri and that he was able to get in and out in about 40 minutes.
Right side of Walmart, long line. Left side of Walmart, I stroll up and the gentlemen unlocks the door. I casually walk in, walked to the deals table\u2026 got the super duper cheap air pods. Paid. Walked out. Everyone was super nice. Zero chaos— Geoff (@Geoff) 1637926621
"It's so empty and bare, which is kind of nice. There's not crazy people, although we did just see a lady with a stroller full of bags and no child," said Tabitha Turner, a shopper who spoke to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about her experience at the North East Mall in Hurst, Texas.
"The crowds are much easier. Lines are simple, which is not quite as fun. I always enjoyed the people fighting over parking spaces and yelling at people for the last toy … We're missing the hustle and bustle of all the crazy people … It was a blast and it was fun to have to deal with all the craziness."
Customers in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania shared similar stories with WOLF-TV.
"Very calm. There is no traffic even. Which is amazing cause usually you see a lot of that, but no traffic. Like I said 2 minutes in line at Walmart, but I was right in the store able to get everything, no chaos," said Tina Merrifield of Jessup.
Some shoppers expressed disappointment with the quality of the deals this year, or with the unavailability of certain items because of ongoing supply chain issues. Many retailers warned customers in recent weeks to get their shopping done early because popular items would not be available. In one video, a worker at Best Buy told those waiting in line to buy the Playtation 5 early; Friday morning the store was out-of-stock.
"Black Friday is a total bust," complained Vince Langman of Chicago on Twitter. "The deals suck and there's literally more workers at Target than shoppers."
Wow Black Friday is a total bust \nThe deals suck and there's literally more workers at Target than shoppers \nNot one person in linepic.twitter.com/D9EIZI4C1n— Vince Langman (@Vince Langman) 1637940259
While there may be fewer discounts this year, other shoppers were happy to miss the typical Black Friday crowds.
"I don't want to get mixed up in any of that chaos," said Hannah Smith, of Iowa, while shopping on Thursday.
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