American traditions in partial effect
Modeled after the 1541 Thanksgiving Mass, the third Thursday of November marks the date for the annual tradition of Thanksgiving in the United States. A day reserved for thanks spent with family and friends, Thursday marks the beginning of a four day weekend observed by every state in America.
Black Friday, however, is a contemporary invention that succeeds Thanksgiving Thursday and is a day for retailers to advertise the kind of sales normally reserved for liquidation. Savvy shoppers can take advantage of otherwise unbelievable deals, as well as the opportunity to start Christmas shopping early.
Black Friday in Canada was first observed in 2008 when a few American retailers provided Canadian shoppers with deals. The first major Black Friday in Canada occurred in 2012 as a means of allowing Canadian shoppers to spend their money in Canada instead of crossing the border.
Friday, Nov. 29, 2013 continued the tradition, with many major Canadian and American retailers offering extravagant deals for shoppers.
However, some people have been highly critical of Black Friday sales appearing in Canadian stores, due to a perceived infringement on the Canadian economy and Canadian culture.
“It’s almost like Canada feels the need to completely copy America and everything it does,” said University of Guelph student Chris Katsaras. “Black Friday in Canada doesn’t make sense from a traditional point of view; we have Thanksgiving in October. [Black Friday] is just a way to support consumerism and greed, and a way to start Christmas shopping early.”
Black Friday in America is also frequently marred with injuries and deaths that are the result of robberies, shoplifting, and fervent consumers trying to score the best deals.
“There are Black Friday death counters online that show how many people have hurt themselves,” explained Katsaras. “That’s not unhealthy, it’s irresponsible.”
As of Dec. 1, seven people have died and 90 have been injured in America, according to one count.
Other shoppers have been less critical of the American tradition coming to Canada. Shelby Cady, a dual Canadian-American citizen studying at the University of Guelph, said:
“Black Friday is better in Canada. I was able to go shopping in the late afternoon and the stores still had everything in stock. There were some fantastic sales, [and] I didn’t have to wait in line for hours. Instead, [I] was able to get all my Christmas presents for much less than I would have [at home].”
Retailers have also adopted the Monday following Thanksgiving for online shopping as a means of continuing the Black Friday spending spree. “Cyber Monday” marks the conclusion of the Thanksgiving weekend, culminating in a day for online retailers to turn a profit similar to their physical counterparts.
Cyber Monday also makes it possible for consumers to buy products globally; as long as a consumer has a credit card, they can buy products at discounted prices from anywhere in the world.
Despite the day’s negative connotations, Black Friday is the first chance for retailers to turn a profit during the fiscal year. Large-scale multinational corporations and small-scale retailers both subsist on the income gained from the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
The consensus seems to be that Black Friday is welcome in Canada as long as the negative aspects of the holiday are not allowed entry into the Great White North.
“As long as Canada’s Black Friday doesn’t turn into anything resembling America’s [Black Friday], it will be brilliant,” concluded Cady.