Duvall was one of many shoppers across the U.S. who planned their Thursday and Friday around Black Friday.

“I like the sales and … I just think it’s fun to fight with people over products,” she said.

Black Friday traditionally is celebrated the day after Thanksgiving, when stores offer sales and begin the Christmas shopping season. The name Black Friday first was used by the Philadelphia Police Department to describe the massive crowds and traffic surrounding stores in a negative way in an attempt to push customers away, according to ABC News.

For some small businesses, such as Mad Eagle, 301 M.A.C. Ave., Black Friday was a boost in sales, store owner Holly Mead said.
“We love Black Friday,” Mead said. “It always gets sales for us, (and) it’s hard to compete with the big stores, (so) we really appreciate the business.”

Mad Eagle offered 20 percent off storewide on Friday, and Mead said sales were up this Black Friday compared to years past.

For other small businesses, such as Pitaya, 213 E. Grand River Ave., sales remained the same compared to last year, said Kristen Brinks, sales associate at Pitaya and interdisciplinary studies in social science senior.

Pitaya offered 30 percent off sale items Friday-Sunday, but Brinks said business on Black Friday was not busier than usual.

This year, supply chain management senior KP Xiang, went Black Friday shopping on a mission: to buy a suit.

Xiang said he did not allot much time to researching
the suit, but saw an advertisement for it and said, “Why not?”
Xiang said he has been Black Friday shopping before, and as he gets older, the amount of money saved from Black Friday shopping is not as important as it was in years past.

“(As) you get older, you actually have the money, and you won’t want to (stand) in line,” Xiang said, adding he felt there aren’t substantial savings.

Duvall said Black Friday shopping is a family event, and her mother has been taking her since she was little. She said it is her time to complete all Christmas shopping.

Duvall said she did not like that some stores opened Thursday rather than Friday this year.

“I don’t like it because some stores you have to wait around for so long; we wanted to get everything done, (and) we didn’t want to have to go back. We couldn’t go home; we had to wait in the parking lot.”