The name alone strikes terror into the hearts of the timid.
For those who are unwilling to die for big savings, this “holiday” signals a lockdown system in their brain that requires them to hide their car keys, avoid viewing flyers and switch the channel when commercials appear. For the timid, this day is not worth risking life and limb for a cheap television or laptop.
For the brave/crazy though, this is the day to shine. Like Jason Voorhees on a certain Friday, Black Friday is the moment they’ve waited all year for, the time to seize shopping glory at any cost.
At a Wal-Mart in Los Angeles, 20 people who were injured the Thursday before the big day, when a woman competing for prized merchandise blasted pepper spray into a crowd of her fellow crazies. Wal-Mart, of course, was the site of a Black Friday death in 2008 when a 34-year-old employee was killed trying to hold back the crowds at a Long Island location. The crazed crowd took the doors off their hinges and stormed the store. The man fell down and was trampled by over 200 people as he gasped for air.
But to some the real tragedy here was the disruption to their carefully planned shopping excursion.
Wal-Mart’s response to this senseless tragedy was to open their stores the night before and stay open all night.
That didn’t work out too well, did it?
Retailers can try to avoid a massacre, but the X-factor of human behavior will always trip them up. Regardless of the size or scope of the plan, Black Friday will always be a day filled with fear and loathing as shoppers attempt to tear each other to bits.
Happy Holidays, everyone!
Related articles
- Woman Pepper Sprays Other Shoppers at Los Angeles Wal-Mart on Black Friday (shoppingblog.com)
- 10 Injured at LA Wal-Mart Black Friday Eve (time.com)
The very fact that it’s called “Black” Friday is pretty telling…it’s a rather ominous name, no?
I can’t imagine wanting to face the masses on a day like today. I mean, I don’t even like shopping on non-holiday days let alone a day like this! lol!
You’re too smart to get sucked into the Black Friday madness, young woman!
So true but i dnt like how ppl go crazy 4 black friday. They end up buying extra things that they dntneed. But i still went lol. Great post
Thanks, man!
I hate shopping and would never venture out of the house for something as insane as black friday!
I knew you were a smart, hot, Canadian gal!
I do most of my Christmas shopping at midnight-1 AM on Saturday. All the stores like Meijer or Kroger are still open, there’s hardly anyone about, and I don’t have to worry about getting maced or tased. Much more civilized than this Black Friday mess.
Sounds like a great plan to me!
They call it midnight madness for a reason. People go mad and ridiculously crazy. I want to live …so I stay away from wal-mart or similar stores….great post!
Great comment!
I try to finish as much of my shopping by Thanksgiving as possible in order to avoid this madness. This year I succeeded. Three cheers for avoiding the crazies!
Good work!
For us in the Southern Hemisphere, we do our damage on Boxing Day… appropriate given there’s a bit of boxing involved. Still, we don’t pepper spray each other. Dang.
The Southern Hemisphere rocks!