Gray Thursday and Black Friday are imminent

The ads abound.  Shop!  Shop!  Shop!  We’re open at 7pm on Thanksgiving Day!!!   We’re open at midnight!   Yay!  Deals!  Deals!  Deals!  

In addition to the multitude of advertisements, there are plenty of articles and news reports and social media comments about the pros and cons of longer shopping hours on Thanksgiving weekend.

• There are those who think Gray Thursday (opening on Thanksgiving evening for non-stop shopping) is great.  The shoppers who believe they are getting awesome deals, the employees who want to work overnight, the store owners who need the income, the families who have made day-after shopping a tradition and now want to add day-of shopping.
• And there are those who think it’s a terrible idea.  They think  families should be spending the days together and not be forced to work or split their holiday between work and home.  They believe we’re losing traditions to commercialism.  They worry that soon stores will add Christmas day to the “never-close” list.

What do I think? 

My personal opinion has to do with how my body reacts when I think about the thousands of people that ascend upon a store, wait on lines to get started, push and shove to get the item with 30% off.   I don’t get a feeling of excitement and breathless anticipation.   I feel sick to my stomach and immediately anxious.  I don’t like shopping to begin with, and I don’t like crowded stores or parking lots, and I would much rather get the 20% off by ordering it online than have to deal with the real event.  I can’t remember ever going shopping on Black Friday and I’m not planning to start.

So I’m going to pass.  

Happily.