Has Black Friday Made Us More Materialistic?

Everyone in Los Angeles County loves a good deal. Everyone. There’s nothing more satisfying than getting half off something you’ve been wanting to buy for eons.

But many believe giant retailers like Target, Walmart and Sears have gone too far in satiating this hunger for a good bargain.

Black Friday—the Friday after Thanksgiving associated with gangbuster deals— will begin not on Friday this year, but Thursday.

Last year, retailers stayed true to the day’s title and waited until midnight on Friday to open their doors, still causing some discontent because employees had to cut their Thanksgiving dinners short and arrive at work.

However, this year, employees didn't spend Thanksgiving dinner with their loved ones and prepared Thursday evening for the Black Friday madness.

Several petitions circled the web asking retailers to stop the “Black Friday Creep” and not open their doors on Thursday, but on Friday like tradition has always been.

But aren’t retailers actually giving customers what they want? More hours to get those incredible deals that only come once a year?

Many media outlets and bloggers have decried the holiday season as the antithesis of giving and all about who can hoard the best deals for the longest amount of time.

Note: This calendar year offers the longest holiday shopping season.

 “It has sort of turned into a ‘retail arms race,’” wrote the Philadelphia Inquirer.

And consumers are getting caught in the middle, debating whether or not to buy into the commercialism of the holiday.

Tell us in the comments: Is Black Friday increasing materialism in our communities? Or are these extended hours exactly what we’ve been looking for?