by Joy Zhang ’14

Black Friday shoppers wait outside Best Buy in the early morning.

Black Friday shopping is an exciting part of the year that I always look forward to. I’m actually more enthusiastic about waking up at dawn and standing in 30 degree weather rather than spending quality time with my family at a turkey dinner. I happen to find great entertainment from watching grouchy middle-aged men fight over the latest video game or witnessing a massive, aggressive woman plowing down little kids to get to the 50-percent discounted vacuum. Admittedly, I always feel obligated to join the crowd and buy stuff as well – and typically, that ends up being unnecessary things that I will never find a use for. Sitting in the car ride home while sifting through the ridiculous items I purchased is always a moment of shame for me. The fact that I even had the urge to buy a glittery phone case or obnoxiously colored ear buds make me question my sanity at the time. Over the years, I have acquired a lot of embarrassing junk. So instead of going shopping during my Thanksgiving weekend this year, I think it’s time for me to clear out my impractical buys of “Black Fridays Past” on an eBay account.