Thanksgiving isn’t over yet. But with our stomachs still filled with half-burnt turkey, creamy pumpkin pie and sour cranberry sauce, we venture out of the conventional holiday home filled with the scent of food to brave malls full of crowds of people. The culprit? Black Friday. According to the National Retail Foundation, 151 million Americans shopped on Black Friday last year. And with stores opening earlier and earlier every year, our Thanksgiving seems to be on the verge of turning into a weekend of Thanks-taking.

The lure of cheap sales and new gadgets to play with during Black Friday is irresistible. Some even go so far as to switch phones every year. But, Black Friday is only the tip of the iceberg in what is known as consumer culture, where everything from shopping malls to girl scouts are geared towards the selling and buying of consumer products. Click on the stories below to explore the part Black Friday and consumer culture plays in our lives.