Shoppers all over America gear up to fight the crowds on Black Friday to kick-start the holiday shopping season. 

Retailers all across the country have begun to advertise their Black Friday sales in order to push consumers to hit the racks Nov. 23. Advertising is especially common within department stores, like Macy’s, who will conduct their 86th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The unofficial start of the holiday shopping season will begin on Black Friday this year, starting with the early morning door-buster sales at many stores, such Best Buy, Toys R’ Us, and Boston Store.

This year, consumers have the opportunity to begin shopping on Thanksgiving Day. Some stores, like Wal-Mart, are opening their doors as early as 8 p.m. on Thursday.

Leah Windt, a senior at Whitnall, said, “It takes away from the excitement of waking up early to be one of the first ones in the store!”

Rachel Tillman, another student at Whitnall, said, “Although it may be convenient for people who really need something, like a TV, it somewhat ruins the rush and the name Black Friday.”

The term Black Friday was coined in the mid 1960s. Among many theories of how this name came about, it is said Philadelphia police officers, cab drivers, and bus drivers started calling it Black Friday because of the traffic problems are crowds of people. Another theory is that the stores make profit on this day, and on the records, profits are recorded in black ink.

Each year, millions of people hurry to the stores in order to guarantee they check every item off their Christmas shopping list. In 2010, 212 million shoppers spent a grand total of $39 billion.

Many students at Whitnall take part in the Black Friday shopping adventures, but others tend to stay away.

“My sister, cousin, aunt, and I always say we are going to go, but when it comes down to it, we choose to sleep instead of shop,” said student Lizzy Menden. 

Another shopping opportunity, which has very recently become popular, is Cyber Monday, the Monday immediately following Black Friday. This is the day that stores move their sales online, and shoppers can take part in the sales without fighting the crowds at the stores. 

With shopping lists and catalogs in hand, the shoppers set their sights on door buster sales and kick off the holiday shopping season.