Standing in a long line while fighting the frigid cold the morning after Thanksgiving used to be the highlight of the year, coming up with a strategic game plan with family and friends to shop as many stores as possible in order of importance to ensure you get all that you’ve dreamed of since the last holiday season. There’s nothing like the anticipation of knowing you’re in the right place to get the best deals in town and the adrenaline rush of racing through the store to grab that new HD, 1080p, capable of everything, Smart TV. Feeling privileged to have gotten a sneak peak at the sales papers released one week prior to the “Big Day.” Oh, what a feeling…that has been rudely taken away! Black Friday as we knew it has been slowly but surely removed from existence. Retailers have abused this marketing tactic and preyed like vultures on the vulnerability of the consumer. They have taken advantage of the downturn in our economy, provoking us to spend our last dollars by any means necessary, luring us in with offers and deals that we can’t refuse. The retail giants have created the ultimate hype accepting the competition from their counterparts, willing with relentless pursuit at victory. The marketing tactics have been outstanding and sadly every year we fall victim to the plight: The “Better than Black Friday Sale,” the “Three Day Black Friday Sale”; oh, and the killer “All Month Long Black Friday Sale.” The gimmicks are outrageous and the competitors will stop at nothing to gain capital and raging fans. I completely disagree with the approach and feel the tradition of Black Friday has been tainted and maliciously misrepresented. Everyone loves a bargain, a steal, and one heck of a deal, but to take advantage of one day and turn it into a month-long special seems a bit absurd. Black Friday is no longer a day of anticipation. The sales flood our newspapers, television commercials and mailboxes offering us the best deals right now. In my opinion this whole Black Friday thing has gone too far, and the tradition has been buried due to the greedy retailer. I personally no longer participate because I’m confident that on any random day in November some awesome sale will be awaiting my presence the moment I walk in the door. Black Friday is no longer about the consumer; it is a game of monopoly for the competitors. Sure this is a perfect time to take advantage of all the sales that this holiday season has to offer, but I can honestly say that Black Friday is dead.