With the holidays just around the corner, Black Friday seems to be lurking in the shadowy thoughts of many Americans’ heads.
This year, the anticipation grows as retailors decide not to wait until Black Friday to open their doors but instead are opening on Thanksgiving, and people all over the country are jumping in line now.
“It keeps getting earlier and earlier,” says Salt Lake Community College student and Target Sales Floor Team Leader Aaron Quintana. “Every year there’s at least one thing that everybody wants.”
Quintana has been with Target for a little over four years, and this is his fifth Black Friday with the major retailor.
“The initial rush of everything is kind of fun. You come to work and see this big huge line outside, and then come in and get ready for everything. Then over the walkie, you hear, ‘Okay, we’re opening the doors.’ Then depending on where you’re at in the store, you hear and feel the slow rumble of people. Then suddenly they come around the corner and they’re just running and grabbing everything, so it’s kind of fun to see the commotion of it all.”
It’s not all fun and games. With crowds maxed out and extra support brought from local and state police, things can get a little hectic.
“The thing I really dislike the most [about Black Friday] are people are there to buy stuff for the holidays, but some people get really out of the spirit of the holidays, especially getting really angry at me just because they didn’t get what they wanted. That’s one thing that’s kind of sad around the holidays is it’s supposed to be this joyous time with family, but then there are those people who get really angry that we’re out of stock on a product and try to ruin our holiday,” says Quintana. “I still get excited for the holidays, but I definitely have a new appreciation for them.”
The following stores plan on opening their doors on Thanksgiving to launch their Black Friday sales:
Macy’s, Kohl’s, Toys R Us, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Kmart, Old Navy, Staples, Sears, Michaels, J.C. Penney, Dollar General, and Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Store hours vary depending on location.
