Another black Friday

Reprinted from 2008: 

Another Black Friday has passed and I don’t feel like I missed anything for not participating in the shopping frenzy. I slept late Friday morning and enjoyed some family time with my wife and sons. Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving Day and is the official kickoff to the holiday shopping season. It’s called Black Friday because stores unload their merchandise to rid themselves of debt (red) and earn a profit (the black).

It’s also the largest shopping day in America. For some individuals, it’s a tradition for them to rise early, grab some coffee, load their wallets and purses with credit cards and prepare for hand-to-hand combat with other shoppers. And stores do their part to keep their sales items top secret until the ads arrive in the Thanksgiving newspaper. Most stores offer huge discounts on electronics and the season’s most popular toys.

Although it’s considered a cultural tradition in some homes to engage in this event, it’s just another day for me. I have never stood in line on a cold Friday morning waiting for a store to open its doors. I spoke to a few of my co-workers that endured the cold and stood in line for hours while fighting for bargains. One co-worker said she stood in line for hours to purchase a large flat screen television for $250. She stood in a line that snaked around the aisles like an anaconda. She said by the time she had purchased her television, she was angry, tired, and agitated.

While standing in line, she was shoved and endured rude comments from other customers. She also mentioned that she overheard another customer describe her visit to a local toy store where she witnessed two people engage in a fight to the death over a toy. I can remember many years ago when people nearly killed each other to acquire a Tickle-me-Elmo doll. Fortunately, my mother worked part-time at a local department store and bought one for my son. He woke up with a Tickle-me-Elmo under the Christmas tree.

It’s amazing how people treat each other on Black Friday. Your same neighbor that will either wave to you or shake your hand in church will turn into a primitive savage and will attack you for the last computer or television set. I have seen video footage of people getting trampled while trying to enter a store on Black Friday.

Although no one forces anyone to participate in the shopping frenzy, stores should be held liable for any injuries or death since they provide the stage for the ensuing madness. They wait for that one day of the year to rid themselves of merchandise. And once they open their doors, store management knows that people will rush through the store like Wildebeests to get whatever they can grab. 

So far, I haven’t heard anything about anyone getting trampled to death this year, so I guess Black Friday was a success. If I ever decide to risk getting trampled, I will buy a plane ticket and head for Spain, where I can participate in the Running of the Bulls. At least the bulls won’t trample me to death for a computer.