Spring Break
'Black Friday' lures some students in, scares others away
Emily Abbate
Issue date: 12/3/08 Section: Focus
On any other normal Friday morning, most UConn students begin waking up to a hangover after 9 a.m. and a long night of drinking and dreading the couple classes that separate them from the rest of the weekend. However, on Friday, Nov. 28, otherwise known as Black Friday, hundreds of students woke up earlier than usual at what many consider "un-godly" hours to do nothing else, but shop.
"I worked three Black Fridays before, this year was a lot less traffic," said Jessica Rainbolt, a 7th-semester journalism and political science double major who works at Best Buy. "It was steady throughout the day, but it was not as crazy as it used to be."
According to the National Retail Association, which conducted a survey after Black Friday, "The NRF [National Retail Federation] said more than 172 million shoppers visited stores and Web sites over Black Friday weekend (which includes Thursday, Friday, Saturday and projections for Sunday), up from 147 million shoppers last year," according to Reuters.
Mike Stricoff, a 7th-semester journalism and communications double major, said he was underwhelmed by the number of people that actually turned out on Black Friday.
"I went to Macy's quickly," Stricoff said. "It was definitely crowded, but the reputation of Black Friday didn't hold. It wasn't wildly out of control or anything."
The unofficial shopping holiday caused havoc across the country, as some shoppers got a bit more than they bargained for. In Long Island, a Wal-Mart employee died after being trampled by customers who broke through the doors early Friday.
According to The New York Times, this is the first time that someone has been killed in a stampede on Black Friday. The manager of the Wal-Mart in Valley Stream, N.Y., Hank Mullany, said that the store already had additional security staff. Although precautionary measures were taken, it clearly was not enough.
"I feel like they are really desperate people," said Elizabeth Hopkinson, 7th-semester journalism major. "Because if you are getting up at 4 a.m. for sales and discounts then obviously there's a reason for it. I guess they are probably looking to save money."
"I think its definitely hyped up and crazy that stores offer deals after 12 a.m. and before 8 a.m.," said Lexia Nowicki, a 7th-semester communications major. "But some people go for those deals and are willing to begin shopping during those odd hours."
Nowicki, who went shopping at Evergreen Walk in Manchester around 2 p.m. Friday, said that after visiting two stores, "it wasn't really worth the hassle."
"Stock wasn't low on anything and it wasn't really hard to find what I wanted," Nowicki said. "But it was definitely more crowded than usual, I guess that's expected."
"I worked three Black Fridays before, this year was a lot less traffic," said Jessica Rainbolt, a 7th-semester journalism and political science double major who works at Best Buy. "It was steady throughout the day, but it was not as crazy as it used to be."
According to the National Retail Association, which conducted a survey after Black Friday, "The NRF [National Retail Federation] said more than 172 million shoppers visited stores and Web sites over Black Friday weekend (which includes Thursday, Friday, Saturday and projections for Sunday), up from 147 million shoppers last year," according to Reuters.
Mike Stricoff, a 7th-semester journalism and communications double major, said he was underwhelmed by the number of people that actually turned out on Black Friday.
"I went to Macy's quickly," Stricoff said. "It was definitely crowded, but the reputation of Black Friday didn't hold. It wasn't wildly out of control or anything."
The unofficial shopping holiday caused havoc across the country, as some shoppers got a bit more than they bargained for. In Long Island, a Wal-Mart employee died after being trampled by customers who broke through the doors early Friday.
According to The New York Times, this is the first time that someone has been killed in a stampede on Black Friday. The manager of the Wal-Mart in Valley Stream, N.Y., Hank Mullany, said that the store already had additional security staff. Although precautionary measures were taken, it clearly was not enough.
"I feel like they are really desperate people," said Elizabeth Hopkinson, 7th-semester journalism major. "Because if you are getting up at 4 a.m. for sales and discounts then obviously there's a reason for it. I guess they are probably looking to save money."
"I think its definitely hyped up and crazy that stores offer deals after 12 a.m. and before 8 a.m.," said Lexia Nowicki, a 7th-semester communications major. "But some people go for those deals and are willing to begin shopping during those odd hours."
Nowicki, who went shopping at Evergreen Walk in Manchester around 2 p.m. Friday, said that after visiting two stores, "it wasn't really worth the hassle."
"Stock wasn't low on anything and it wasn't really hard to find what I wanted," Nowicki said. "But it was definitely more crowded than usual, I guess that's expected."
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Gavin
posted 12/03/08 @ 5:02 PM EST
Most students are in fact, not waking up with a hang over on Friday. Where you get off with an assumption like that in a publication? The University of Connecticut has done a magnificent job in the recent years moderning the campus, attracting better and brighter students, and building an outstanding public image surrounding academics. (Continued…)
jeff
posted 12/03/08 @ 6:34 PM EST
your right, we aren't all drunks. However, if I were to guess the day of the week that most students would wake up with a hangover, I would guess friday. (Continued…)
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