Jeepney Press / Richine Bermudez

THE BLACK FRIDAY CRAZE by Richine Bermudez

Have you ever thought about why November is the most beloved month for people who love shopping? Tag along as we discover the month where people splurge and make some of their dreams come true!

Back before the pandemic was known to everyone, I had the chance to have a November to remember in the land of the free. The experience was indeed an unforgettable one because it was that time when I was able to go shopping in the middle of the night.

I was invited to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with the family of a long-time friend. I was so surprised to see how people in the states celebrate this holiday. The whole house was decorated, the table was well presented, everyone was dressed up for the dinner and enjoyed sharing the sumptuous food with lots of stories from everybody. I thought it was a very peaceful, joyful, and solemn night reminiscing and celebrating the things that we are all thankful for.

After the lovely dinner and endless chitchats, everyone got up and buckled up for we were going to journey to the highlight of the night, the BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING! According to my host family, they usually don’t go and participate in this craze, for not only it is crowded but also since all the stores in the town o er big discounts, people go really crazy and sometimes violent, so to avoid this they prefer shopping online or wait till the Cyber Monday, the extension of the BIG SALE in the malls, but a bit lesser than the Black Friday Sale to shop.

The journey going to the outlet was not easy. The roads were packed with cars all heading to their favorite malls to avail the Sale offered by their favorite stores! The place we went to was indeed crowded, the lines were long, people were wrapped with their jackets brazing the cold just to get the best deal in town! Thankfully, there was no violence or anything like that happened, so we were able to enjoy the night and shop a lot!

So, it’s not just you who wonder why is it called Black Friday. I have asked the same question then, and the answer I got was: It is called Black Friday because you shop in the middle of the night on Friday after thanksgiving which is held on a Thursday. Plain and simple! It is probably not accurate but I thought it made sense, so I chose to believe it up to this day.

Yes, despite the pandemic and how crazy the world is now, I still make sure that I enjoy the most awaited day in fall, the Black Friday Craze!

RICHINE BERMUDEZ

Jeepney Press