On Black Friday of this year, nearly 152 million people hit the malls and their computers to get up to 80 percent off on a variety of merchandise. UC High students were no exception.

According to the Bloomberg Business Week website, the record number of shoppers was up 10 percent from last year (businessweek.com). It is inferred that this was caused by sales being started Thursday night and continuing through the night.

Stores such as Macy’s and Victoria’s Secret opened at midnight, prompting other stores to open earlier too, because shoppers would already be at the mall. An Old Navy store in Greensboro, North Carolina, started their sale at nine in the morning on Thanksgiving Day (businessweek.com).

“Me and my friend planned to go to the mall at 6:45 a.m. and we thought we were going to be the first ones there, and then I found out that the mall opened at midnight. So it didn’t go as we planned and all the stores had sold most of their things already. It was such a surprise that even at seven the mall was crowded,” said Junior Heliya Alam.
Sophomore Emily Wheat shopped with Alam. “It wasn’t worth it to go at seven, because none of the things I bought were on sale,” she said.

According to Time magazine, the term “Black Friday” refers to when the stores’ balance sheets would have the most black ink on them. The phrase was later used to explain when stores would finally start to profit, or go “into the black” (time.com).

Many websites and forums like “Slick Deals” and “Black Friday Ads” featured scanned newspaper inserts or ads, citing where the best deals were to be found (time.com).

“I went to Fashion Valley from noon to one. The traffic was really bad, but it was worth it. I got two pairs of jeans, three shirts, and new Vans, all on sale,” said Sophomore Anita Singh.

According to the Seattle Times, the bleak economy can lead to desperate measures. In 2008, a Wal-Mart employee was trampled and killed in Buffalo, New York, and others, including a pregnant woman, were taken to the local hospital.