Erkina Sartbaeva

It’s without fail.

As soon as Halloween draws to a close, holiday commercials start popping up on my television. Glamorous-looking, sweater-clad families dance around the screen holding shopping bags with snow cascading around them.

Then the sales pitch appears for the day after Thanksgiving: Black Friday.

On a day like Black Friday, I know where I’ll be: home.

I’d rath­er not get squashed.

Don’t get me wrong: I enjoy a good deal as much as the next person. However, Black Friday is just crazy.People literally attack each other over toys and video games.

Last year inLos Angeles, a woman pepper-sprayed other shoppers simply to get an Xbox that was on sale at Walmart. In 2008, at a Walmart inNew York, an employee got trampled to death when he opened the door at5 a.m.for the shoppers waiting outside.

After stuffing myself on Thanksgiving, why would I get up at three in the morning—far earlier than when I get up for school—just to go shopping? I would much rather catch up on sleep than wait outside in the freezing cold with a crowd of other shoppers.

I also don’t want to have to fight my way through to get something that I want to buy. It’s just dangerous, and honestly, it’s stupid.

I recently watched a You­Tube video at a Walmart on Black Friday of 2008. Shoppers were crowded together in a huge mob-like formation, pushing and yell­ing their way through to get an item near the front of the store. In another video, shoppers broke their way through the barrier and ran into the store.

Seriously? There is no way I want to be part of that madness. I can just imagine myself being swept up in the crowd and get­ting hurt, which is something I don’t particularly plan on hap­pening when I go shopping.

I like to wait for the week after Christmas, when stores put all the items that weren’t bought during the holiday season on sale.

I understand that some peo­ple may be struggling financially and that this is one of the only days of the year when they can get high-price items at a reduced cost, but why can’t this day be more civilized?

Why do people have to actu­ally die over a video game con­sole? It’s just a toy. In a couple of years, I can assure you it won’t matter as much.

And ultimately, this time of year isn’t about material items; it’s about getting together and celebrating with family and friends. Black Friday turns the holidays into some of the most materialistic days of the year, which they shouldn’t be.