The term Black Friday sends adrenaline rushing through the veins of millions of Americans throughout the nation. The thought of getting the best deals of the year is exhilarating, and many even go to the extent of spending the night outside a store. Students looking for good deals can mark down Nov. 27 for this year’s Black Friday.

The unofficial shopping holiday originated back in 1966, marking the first day of the winter gift-buying season. Stores sell items for lower prices, anticipating the customers hoping to purchase discounted merchandise for the Christmas season.

Junior Tyler Haritzalde is eager to pitch his tent at 2 a.m. in front of the Target on Shaw and Feland.

“This will be my first time camping out at a store,” Haritzalde said. “I am going to get there early, bring some food and watch crazed customers look for deals. I heard one person got trampled last year. I will probably buy something or earn a buck by selling my place in line.”

Target’s River Park manager, Danny Abell, is enthused for the most anticipated shopping day of the year.

“Our store makes half a million dollars just on Black Friday,” Abell said. “That is about five times of what we make in a normal day. The original expression “Black Friday” is an accounting term. The color black means you’re making a profit. Stores across the country move into the black section on that day. Our staff covers every angle making sure we all have a role. The general manager comes out and talks to the crowds before our doors open at 5 a.m. We want to make sure that everything runs smoothly for our customers.”

Senior DaEun Sunwoo was one of thousands who fought the crowds at Best Buy last year.

“Last year my cousins wanted to buy a Play Station 3 on Black Friday,” Sunwoo said. “I went with them early in the morning just for fun. I saw a bunch of people and cops with big guns. When the store started opening everyone tried to go in at once. I was in the middle of the crowd and people shoved me out of line. I couldn’t find my cousins so I waited outside for an hour with some weird people.”

Best Buy’s River Park manager Micheal Ruffino is prepared for the moment his doors open at 5 a.m.

“We’re expecting about 1,500 people to show up,” Ruffino said. “We are closed the day before so we can organize and prepare everything inside the store. It requires a ton of preparation to pull off Black Friday.”

Ruffino knows that when people are waiting in anticipation for doors to open, they can get restless.

“People will do crazy things to get the best deal,” Ruffino said. “Customers wait for many hours to buy something $30 off. A couple of years ago some riots broke out while people were waiting in line. We put out some port-a-potties, which seemed to stop the riots.”

Mobile employee Matt Fitzgerald had only been working at Best Buy for two days when Black Friday rolled around.

“Last year was my first Black Friday and it was pretty crazy,” Fitzgerald said. “We had to take a bus into work because there was absolutely no parking. Things can get chaotic if people start to get impatient. When we opened the doors it’s like kids in a candy shop. We put barriers up to keep everyone from rushing in at the same time. All in all, people were very pleased with the deals they got.”

In light of our economy, stores across the country are lowering prices on merchandise. Black Friday is the biggest day for many stores, and they are willing to make great deals to draw in customers. Those interested in nabbing a deal or two may want to look into these Black Friday sales.