Thanksgiving is just around the corner, but some students like Pioneer junior, Ivan Davila, are looking forward to the good deals the day after, on Black Friday.

Davila has a long history of Black Friday shopping. When he was in California, he went shopping at five or six in the morning, but recently he has started going at 8. “[Since moving to Michigan] I haven’t had to get up that early,” he said. 

For some reason, Black Friday has the ability to make shoppers lose all sanity, as they try to fight for the best deals. Every year, there are stories of a shopper pulling a knife on another shopper in order to get the last gaming console, or someone tackling another. Whether or not these stories actually have any truth behind them, there is no denying that people love to see a sale sign.

Davila has first hand experience, witnessing some of the infamous Black Friday fights. “I’ve seen people hit each other or scream at other people and it’s just so interesting to me: the power that this has over some people, even just compulsively,” said Davila. 

While Davila has gone Black Friday shopping for years, he thinks that the act of fighting someone over a good deal is ridiculous. “I don’t know if it’s really good to go to that extent of hitting people or screaming or pushing,” said Davila. He says that the craziness is caused by the attractiveness of the deals. The shoppers acknowledge that the item is supposed to be more expensive and this is probably the only time that they will be able to buy it at such a low price.

Even though Davila didn’t resort to violence, he is able to get good deals each time he goes shopping. His best deal was a coat from designer brand Michael Kors, which retails for around $300, but he was able to buy it for around $100. 

Davila’s strategy for shopping has him going to multiple stores before they actually buy anything. “We used to go to a lot of stores to see what’s the better offers and better prices,” said Davila. Based on what he found, Davila would go back to the stores and pick based on what he wants and what he needs. This strategy doesn’t stop him from buying unnecessary things, though. He finds himself mostly buying new clothes. “If I want new clothes, I go crazy on it,” he said. 

Recently, Black Friday has gone out of style as more retailers are popping up online. Cyber Monday has been gaining more popularity in the past few years, with the rise of online stores, including older websites like Amazon. Amazon is known for its fast shipping and large catalog of items, but it is also known for its great deals around the holiday season. Senior Elizabeth Joffe prefers it over Black Fridays because, “there’s so many crowds and people go crazy.” Although Cyber Monday is specifically for online deals, some companies are starting their deals early on Black Friday, lessening the need to shop in person. Joffe doesn’t have anything in mind when she shops, so she likes to “just peruse.”

Even though online deals are becoming more widespread and popular, Davila will stick to in person shopping. “I don’t like online shopping just because I can’t see if I fit anything or I just don’t get a first hand side of what they’re actually sending me,” said Davila.