Black Friday is back and bigger than ever! 

Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year in the biggest economy in the world. Full from their Thanksgiving feasts, millions of US shoppers descend on stores across the country on the Friday after the holiday, hoping to save on their Christmas shopping. In America Black Friday is the last pay day before the Christmas crunch with millions of budding shoppers ready to splash their last pay check before the New Year.

Like most US lead trends, Britain had decided to take part in the Black Friday Fever with just under 10,000 stores UK wide taking part in the sales event. With major chains like Sainsbury’s, John Lewis and Game contributing the discount madness Walmart-owned Asda is leading the way in true American Style with 700,000 discounted products. Amazon the online superstore is also leading the way online uploading new Black Friday deals every two hours until the 30th of November. So you can forget Black Friday its more like Black Weekend.

Although it may seem like great fun and fitting for the Christmas spirit Black Friday is called Black Friday for a reason. Waking up at 3am on Friday the 28th of November is not fun let me tell you! For what really? To get pushed about as I wait outside Sainsbury’s for a £200 LED TV. Although the TV was originally meant to be £400 I am still paying £200 for a TV that I don’t necessarily want or need but feel urged to buy it because it is brilliant ‘Black Friday’, thanks America.

Thank you for the warning as well, with barely any money to even afford the discounted goods feeling like a fool on Friday, I don’t like it, days before Black Friday going out and buying Christmas presents for full price to find that same products price has been slashed to smithereens with all that saving gone to waste. But hey, if America is doing it, it must be cool.

I just think all this frantic capitalistic shopping really puts pressure onto the consumer and draws their attention to the true meaning of giving. But I guess it is good Friday for the classic British Boxing Day sales, and don’t worry I am sure there will be many more Black Fridays to come, just make sure you have enough money and elbow power! 

Armani Quarrington-Gray, Townley Grammar School for Girls