The same question comes about every year on the Friday after Thanksgiving. “If this friday isn’t literally black, then where does the name come from?” Well, the term black friday was first used by a rare stamp dealer named Earl Apfelbaum in 1966. He noticed the chaos that ensued in shopping districts on that day, where huge traffic jams in the streets and sidewalks were frequent occurrences. As you can guess, the retail stores didn’t like this name, and justifyingly so. Another day that has been associated with the word “black” is Black Thursday, the day marking the start of the Great Depression. So, as the big retail giants often do, they manipulated the consumers. By the 80s, people were convinced that Black Friday was referencing the profit that ensued for companies on this day. In finance, a loss is represented in red, and a profit in black.

As young consumers, many of us only remember Black Friday as the nationwide shopping spree that eats up Thanksgiving weekend. However, it wasn’t until 2011 when stores like Target and Best Buy began controversially opening at midnight. Not to be outdone, Walmart would open at 8pm on Thanksgiving Day the next year. As to be expected, the workers were exploited by the retail supergiants. Many were forced to miss Thanksgiving dinner with their families to fill a shift as opening times crept earlier and earlier, sparking multiple employee walkouts. Huffington Post reports “Detractors have also protested outside dozens of Walmart stored on past Thanksgivings and Black Fridays to draw attention to Walmart workers who say they’re paid very little and are subject to poor working conditions.”

Before we get too negative about Black Friday, let’s remember what makes it so special. There are some ridiculously good deals. Like, deals so good that one woman was willing to open-fire a can of pepper spray into a crowd of shoppers while in pursuit of a Nintendo Wii. Sounds pretty crazy, but keep in mind that the Wii was 60% off. Those kinds of deals can turn anyone into a maniac. That’s probably why–and I’m not kidding you with this one–Black Friday has taken seven lives since 2006. The fatalities are often due to being trampled by the mob of shoppers jamming themselves through a single doorway. Another 98 have been non-fatally injured in such shopping occurrences over the same time period.

I apologize for causing controversy over your beloved day of sales, but this deadly, worker-exploiting consumerism “holiday” is taking over the world. This year, Black Friday will be celebrated internationally in places like India, Australia, Mexico, and Romania. Keep in mind that these countries have no affiliation with American Thanksgiving. The question is: Can we control Black Friday? This problem has been addressed by many workers’ rights advocates, and has even been taken to state legislatures. For example, Massachusetts, Maine, and Rhode Island now have laws barring big-box retailers from being open on Thanksgiving. Many stores and malls this year, most notably the Mall of America, have even stopped opening on Thanksgiving to salvage the holiday experience for both workers and consumers alike. However, on an international scale, Black Friday is still gaining momentum. This is largely due to fact that the day of shopping has grown from an American tradition to one that is celebrated worldwide. The problem is that we don’t consider those who have to work all night on the day in which they should be feasting on turkey with their family. We don’t even think about the physical danger of putting ourselves in these mob-like situations. Is it really worth it to save 50%.