What is wrong with us? Black Friday?!?

[Eagle5US]

My wife and I got up late this morning, since I had a much appreciated day out of the ED. We had seen the "Black Friday" sales flyers in the mail and on the internet. No thanks, not for us.

So we see the news this morning (Drudge) and are in total disbelief. Wal-Mart shoppers on Long Island physically BROKE DOWN THE DOORS and stampeded into the store KILLING a 34 y/o Wal-Mart employee and injuring others.

In another posted video, people are literally scrapping over X-Box 360 consoles like looters after Katrina. It was ridiculous.

Spoiling the day after we are supposed to be so very thankful for all of our blessings with the commercialization of the Christmas Season is bad enough. But the behavior of some of our "adults" is just unreal.

I hope that man's family has a strong heart and are able to overcome this senseless tragedy.

Eagle

[Puertoland]

Its pathetic when you think about it. God bless the man's family.

How does the law handle a situation like this? Are the people even held responsible? Most likely not, I can only wonder how the store reacted.

[Eagle5US]

You can listen to the video on Drudge...people are laughing.
Really just terrible

Eagle

[rubberneck]

I told my wife that the Christmas season used to be my favorite time of the year but now I can't stand it. Those two stories exemplify why the season has lost it's luster for me. Instead of celebrating the birth of Christ it has become one giant shopping orgy where Christ is irrelevant to the whole thing. It makes me sick to my stomach. I don't even want to put up the Christmas tree.

[nmap]

The behavior and attitude is, as others say, deplorable. It does, again as others have said, suggest a lack of thankfulness for the many blessings we enjoy. Perhaps it says something about our collective view of the value of life itself.

There is, in my opinion, another point to be considered. This is an example of how people behave when they have a want (not a need!), and are still well fed, well clothed, and reasonably comfortable. How will they behave if the situation changes and they are not well fed, not comfortable, and - perhaps - angry or afraid? Will people be made better, or will they become more aggressive and dangerous?

These are not rhetorical questions, although I recognize that the answer may not be at hand. My own view of the likely outcome troubles me.

[Gypsy]

It's a terrible thing, I feel so bad for that family of the worker. I personally have refused to participate in "Black Friday" for years. People are just too freaking rude and stupid.

Some people act like cattle. We need more cattle prods.

[Phantasos]

From the retail end of things, I will say that alot of the mad rush shopping is completely ridiculous...no need for people to get hurt or even die.

I currently work at best buy, and we opened at 4am this morning, however people started lining up at our store at 2pm thursday afternoon. I hate to say it, but it really is almost a poverty like mentality they have about buying these ultra low price items and standing in line for hours on end.

If something is too good to be true it usually is, the 299 & 399 full sized laptops(or craptops as we call them) don't tend to stand up for too long.
Occasionally there are a few good deals, but this year I noticed there wasn't as many as there usually are- at least at my store.

I was lucky this year and got a mid shift to work, it was still extremely packed, but I was spared most of the people who flip out over not having items in stock. I really don't like working these types of days, but it does prove to meet some interesting people- today I met a QP from 7th group- so at least I got something out of the day...

[AngelsSix]

We are semi boycotting Christmas this year. We decided not to put up a tree or buy presents, but we will decorate outside (I love Christmas lights).
We spent today at the range with friends (sounds like it was the safest place to be) and refused to get caught up in the commercialism. I am sick to death of people any more. We got cut off on the road at least three times today. If people would just shop for their gifts year round it wouldn't be so bad. My parents always had the bulk of our Christmas shopping done before Thanksgiving.

[optactical]

This same shit was happening 10 years ago, but back then you couldn't watch it moments after on the internet.

Human nature hasn't changed dude, it's how much access we have to being able to view it that has.

Remember how much scrutiny the Rodney King beating brought? That was a wake up call in the early 90's. Now anybody and everybody not only has the capability to make such a video with their phone, but they can also have it worldwide in as much time as it takes to download said video to YouTube.

Human nature hasn't changed one bit, our access to viewing it has.

We didn't make a quantum leap into savagery, we can now just all watch what we have denied exists within our own culture and has existed for years.

[Dozer523]

Originally Posted by Broadsword2004

I just heard about something similar from my uncle. He went to a Wal-Mart I think yesterday and there was a HUGE line outside he said, and he said when the doors open, he, who is like six foot four and over 200 pounds, was actually physically lifted off the ground; he said the force of the crowd actually carried him into the store. ( (OUT THE DOOR)

Sounds like the ONE time I jumped with the 82nd.

[jasonglh]

Wal-Mart has successfully resisted unionization of its employees. New York State’s largest grocery union, Local 1500 of the United Food and Commercial Workers, called the death of Mr. Damour “avoidable” and demanded investigations.

“Where were the safety barriers?” said Bruce Both, the union president. “Where was security? How did store management not see dangerous numbers of customers barreling down on the store in such an unsafe manner? This is not just tragic; it rises to a level of blatant irresponsibility by Wal-Mart.”

From the NY Times of course

[LongTabSigO]

I was at that store on Friday afternoon. I didn't know what all the news trucks were in the parking lot until later.

To set the scene for you, it is a very "Third World" looking venue; if you didn't know you were in Valley Stream, NY, you'd think you were in bazaar somewhere. I was one of the very few Occidentals in the building.

I"m not surprised it happened. That's the mentality that pervades that area, especially in situations like a "Black Friday" supersale.

Sick, really.

I did my Black Friday shopping online. All it cost me was a couple of hours of sleep.

[bandycpa]

The retailers are not innocent in this either. The promotion of the Black Friday sales, the limited availability of "must-have, super low-priced" items, the fact that stores will open up extra early on that particular day...it all becomes an incubator of retail madness. When it hatches, you get what you get every year...people trampling people just to get the latest deals. In my day, it was cabbage patch dolls. Now it's Wii's and flat-screen tvs.

There's a reason this kind of mob behavior doesn't happen every day at retail establishments. To think that it's totally the shopper's fault is addressing the symptom and not the problem.

In a related point, could it be that the same "hype" mentality that applies to Black Friday was also used to get the President-Elect a victory just a few weeks ago?


Bandy