During a time when everyone is giving thanks and surrounding themselves by family and friends, most thankful that they made it through another year, the commercially-charged event that has become known as Black Friday throws a wrench into the spirit of things. Less than 24 hours after the turkey has been carved and the typical feast devoured, crazed shoppers line up outside the malls, department stores and every other shop known to man, eager to get their Christmas shopping started – and, for many, completed – before they return home.
But what really irritates me is the lengths to which people will go to secure the hottest toy or most wanted video game console of the holiday season. While some of those items are in limited supply, others are on store shelves even before the huge Black Friday sales. It’s just the matter of saving a few bucks that drives people to fight, tooth and nail, to get their hands on those particular items – not to mention standing in line all night or sleeping in store parking lots awaiting the wee morning hours when the stores open their doors.
Over the years, there have been numerous reports of people fighting over items and shoppers being trampled to death … all in the name of greed.I understand how important Black Friday is, as it stimulates the economy just before the end of the year, but, clearly, the shopping holiday brings out the absolute worst in people. This year, alone, there were several instances in which people let that greed get the better of them. In Buffalo, N.Y., a man was trampled trying to enter a Target store. In Sacramento, Calif., shoppers and security personnel in a Walmart store were pushed and shoved, forcing an evacuation of the electronics section. Then, of course, there was the incident in West Palm Beach, Fla., in which merchandise three women had purchased was stolen from their vehicle while they continued their shopping spree.
Honestly, what is wrong with people? When did decorum become passé? And, believe me, the stores that advertise ridiculously low prices for short periods of time on particular items – of which they often have only a limited supply – aren’t helping matters. If anything, they’re feeding the insanity. Granted, I have never once been a part of the shopping extravaganza, there was one year when I unintentionally got caught up in the whole mess. I had to run to Best Buy the day after Thanksgiving on my way back to UW-River Falls to get some ink cartridges for my printer in order to be able to print out an extremely important term paper I had to turn in the following week.
Thinking that I would be in and out, able to avoid the crowds since I didn’t get there until after 9 a.m., it wasn’t long before I found out the error of my ways. On Black Friday, there is no such thing as quick when it comes to shopping, which I realized when I got in line to check out. Trying to find the end of the line was a trying task in itself, as I had to venture past the washers, dryers and refrigerators, then past the microwaves and vacuums, all the way back to the TVs. Needless to say, I was glad I skipped my morning coffee that day … going to the bathroom was certainly not an option. After that one encounter, I vowed never to leave the house on Black Friday ever again … unless, of course, it was to go to the bar with friends to hang out with a more sane crowd.
Jennie Oemig
Editor
Arcadia News-Leader
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