I HATE BLACK FRIDAY

As my title so plainly states, I despise Black Friday. That day, more than any other day, encapsulates everything that is wrong with America. It is the ultimate manufactured consumer frenzy. People prove what slaves they are to the God of Consumerism on this day, staying up all night on a cold sidewalk outside their shopping temple of choice, just so they can be the first in to get a good "deal" on a microwave or a flat screen TV. They are usually amped up on coffee (and some of them, on other things, but we won't go there), and by the time the doors open, they rush through like an insane tidal wave, and don't care who gets knocked over, crushed or killed in their zeal to grab and buy.

It is supposed to assist in people getting a good deal so they can buy more for their loved ones, but surveys have shown, time and again, that many people admit that they are buying these things for themselves. So much for the spirit of giving.

There is a sickness that is growing in our country. Hate, greed, avarice and selfishness rule the day.

Although the term "Black Friday" wasn't coined until the 1960s, large retailers were pushing for Christmas shopping to start the day after Thanksgiving since the late 19th century. They came up with the idea of a Thanksgiving Parade (Macy's, Eaton's) to lure people out on that day, and then encourage them to shop afterwards.

The origin of the term "Black Friday":

"The most likely origin, which is reasonably well documented, is from Philadelphia police officers, bus drivers, and taxi cab drivers who dreaded the day after Thanksgiving due to the traffic problems from the massive amount of people out and about. The earliest documented reference to this was in January 1966, written by Bonnie Taylor-Black of the American Dialect Society: "Black Friday" is the name which the Philadelphia police department has given to the Friday after Thanksgiving day. It is not a term of endearment to them. "Black Friday" ofiicially opens the Christmas shopping season in center city, and it usually brings massive traffic jams and over-crowded sidewalks as the downtown stores are mobbed from opening until closing."

www.todayifoundout.com...

So, the push for shopping on that day has been going on for a while. However, I don't remember knowing anything about it as a kid, teenager, or even young adult, and I grew up in Los Angeles, a large, overcrowded city in its own right.

What has changed? When did it become an all night marathon of camping out, pushing, shoving, fighting, and sometimes deaths?

Here are a few tragedies that occurred in stores:

Sunday, November 27, 2011
A Black Friday shopper who collapsed at a West Virginia shopping center — and later died — went virtually unnoticed by others racing to snatch up early-bird sales.

Walter Vance, 61, of Logan County, W. Va., was shopping for Christmas decorations around 12:15 a.m. at a Target in South Charleston, W. Va., when he got sick and fell to floor, local news station WSAZ reported.

Witnesses said shoppers continued walking around the store, some even stepping over the man's body.

articles.nydailynews.com...

November 28, 2008
Three violent deaths in two stores marred the opening of the Christmas shopping season Friday.

In the first, a temporary Wal-Mart employee was trampled to death in a rush of thousands of early morning shoppers as he and other employees attempted to unlock the doors of a Long Island, New York, store at 5 a.m., police said.

In the second, unrelated incident, two men were shot dead in a Toys "R" Us in Palm Desert, California, after they argued in the store, police said.

articles.cnn.com...:US

The story of the man who was trampled to death at the Wal Mart is truly sickening:

The incident began when people who had gathered well before 5 a.m. in the rear of the line began pushing, cascading the people in the front into the sliding supermarket-type doors, which were literally knocked off their hinges, Fleming said.

Augustine, 26, said the melee began right after a Wal-Mart employee told the crowd the store would open early. The employee then said it was a joke. This angered the crowd, leading to people trying to rush the store, Augustine said.

Frightened employees initially used the doors as makeshift shields to defend against the onslaught of shoppers, she said.

At that point, lots of people were on the ground, she said, not just Damour.

Authorities said Damour, who died at Franklin Hospital Medical Center in Valley Stream, was working at the store through an employment agency that contracts with the retail giant.

www.newsday.com...

According to eye-witness reports, people kept trampling the 6 foot 5 inch, 270 pound man, and paramedics had a hard time attending to the man, as the onslaught of shoppers kept pushing through with no regard for the body they were stepping over.

Let's not forget the woman last year who whipped out her pepper spray and sprayed into a crowd because she wanted a video game system for her children, who were with her and got to see mommy at her finest:

November 25, 2011

LOS ANGELES – A mother of three shot pepper spray to keep shoppers from grabbing a video game system she wanted during a Black Friday sale, leaving 20 people with minor injuries, authorities said.

The incident occurred shortly after 10:20 p.m. Thursday in a crowded Los Angeles-area Walmart as shoppers hungry for deals were let inside the store.

Police said the suspect shot the pepper spray when the coverings over the item she wanted were removed.

"Somehow she was trying to use it to gain an upper hand," police Lt. Abel Parga told The Associated Press early Friday.

He said she was apparently after an Xbox 360 and used the pepper spray to keep other shoppers at bay.

Officials said 20 people suffered minor injuries. Fire department spokesman Shawn Lenske said the injuries to least 10 of them were due to " rapid crowd movement."

Read more: www.foxnews.com...

This video says it all....We have lost our way in this country.



We need to free ourselves from the slave consumer mentality, and find joy this holiday season with intangible items such as love, peace, compassion and understanding. I dread to see the inevitable news stories about the violence and insanity I'm sure will be happening the day after tomorrow. Apparently all the fluoride in the water aren't keeping the sheep docile enough to stop them from tearing each other to shreds over some cheap Chinese-made electronics.

I hope you all chose to stay home this Friday. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.

reply to post by FissionSurplus


Yeah, i agree. The last time i was ever in a store on black friray was when i worked at walmart. Oh my gawd.

And they are trying to expand it. Now we have cyber monday, and this year they have app tuesday.

But 70% of the sales you can buy online.

I detest black friday as well, now especially the big stores are opening on Thanksgiving, pulling workers away from the their families.

reply to post by phroziac


Yikes. I'll bet you have some stories to tell! I have never, ever done Black Friday shopping. I have a few friends that enjoy it, sort of like one would enjoy a mosh pit or a gang war. I'll never understand why people would do such a thing, when there will be sales all over the place after that date.

reply to post by nixie_nox


I think the idea of starting it even earlier, making employees have to go to work that evening after Thanksgiving dinner, is just appalling. I feel sorry for them. Yes, they get holiday pay, but it's still a pittance compared to time with loved ones and good friends.

I do all my shopping online. It's quick, easy, I find good deals, and I never have to leave the house.

Our only hope is that people will stop playing into the hands of the retail overlords, and start boycotting such stupid events.

The stories of deaths by trampling disturb me greatly. Those incidents display the height of the lack of empathy that humans so often possess.
These people should be taken out of the store immediately (or prevented from coming in, if they are running over someone), by whatever force is necessary. That will teach them.

reply to post by EllaMarina


It seems logical to remove the insane ones, but often these stores have inadequate security, and the mob is too big to control. I think they welcome the melee, because the crazy ones buy stuff too. It's all about the money. The safety of the shoppers doesn't really concern them, apparently.

Why is it everything that I think is important is over looked? I added my lil flag to this important message.

I never have and never will participate in this nonsense. I am poor and could use the great deals, but i refuse to compromise my dignity, morals, or safety to buy people 'stuff'

I found this thread really amusing because here in the UK ''Black Friday'' means the last official day of work before the Christmas holidays...

Which means there's lots of people out getting very drunk with office parties and stuff - it's actually the best party night of the year and I look forward to it more than I do Christmas Day

I love the USA but this tradition is ridiculous and no-one should be buying into it!

reply to post by MidnightSunshine


Amen, Midnight. My husband and I have a very tight budget as we are both retired. Our Christmas budget is equally tight, but it'll be a cold day in hell before I would participate in such a horrid display of greed.

How can anybody enjoy such a shopping experience? It boggles the mind. Plus, it's always electronics that are advertised as "door busters".....some people take that literally, I guess.

reply to post by paradisepurple


WELL PP Around here, TONIGHT is the night to party!!! The wednesday before thanksgiving is the BIGGEST bar night of the year. I'm headed to one right now to work and make lots and lots of money that I will NOT be spending on black friday

reply to post by paradisepurple


See, now that sounds like the kind of Black Friday I could get into.

Our Black Friday here is a freak show on a grand scale, hate to say it like that, but that's how I see it.

May all our ATS friends in the UK have a blast on their Black Friday! Thanks for the info.

Originally posted by FissionSurplus
reply to post by MidnightSunshine

 

How can anybody enjoy such a shopping experience?

I will never understand how anybody "enjoys" shopping at all. When I have to buy stuff, I have a list and I am in and out as quickly as possible. I generally go at 2-3 am get my groceries and get back home. I only buy Christmas gifts for my kids. Rampant consumerism disgusts me.

I'll just leave this here.






Sums up my sentiments exactly.

could not have said it better myself OP. christmas has become the most disgusting selfish holiday on earth. as i have worked retail for many years, i can honestly say this is the day where america shows it's true colors. i am ashamed of humanity

A rather predictable rant. Naturally, those who "don't like" Black Friday will not participate. It's easy to just stay home, is it not? There's nothing compelling you to participate, is there? Don't go; problem solved.

So that begs the question: Why are you ranting? You must not want OTHER people to participate, the people who chose to participate. You can blame retailers for hyping it up, of course. How dare they offer items for sale? Or you can blame "the sheeple" for responding to those nefarious ads announcing the sales. Lord knows they probably have a subliminal message causing shoppers to become hypnotized and offer their credit cards up for scalping. It's a conspiracy, don't you know!

Of course, there's the "I'm so compassionate!" angle. Those poor employees being forced to work. How dare they be compelled to work on a holiday. How dare they be forced to work nights and weekends, too! In retail, no less. Don't these poor people deserve a 9-5 job? It's capitalism gone awry, I say. (Hint: I suspect they are grateful for the work!) Don't you just love it when other people are so compassionate that they want to protect you from yourself? Sometimes they are SO compassionate about what they believe that they'll pass laws to make sure you are protected from yourself. I mean, you might find yourself in an unruly crowd and you might get trampled to death, therefore it's all Wal-Mart's fault and there ought to be a law against it.

Of course, you really ought to spread your compassion around. What about all those football players, many of them teenagers on high school teams who are ripped from the bosom of their families and compelled to play a Turkey Day game--getting wet in the rain in the process, coming home soaked and smelly? And all those spectators, too! There ought to be a law against that, too. After all, somebody (you know it is inevitable) is going to break an arm in that football game. We've got to find someone who is liable and sue them.

After tackling evil Black Friday you'll have to tackle Christmas in general, a pagan holiday co-opted by merchants. No mangers in the schools. It might offend someone. You have to say "Happy Holidays." NEVER say "Merry Christmas." It might offend someone and ought to be illegal. After that--Valentine's Day. It discriminates against people who have no "partner" (careful here; we don't want to offend some transgendered person who is "in transition" and doeesn't know what sex he/she is at the moment.)

Then we take on Mother's Day! It's just a retail invention that benefits Hallmark, Inc. (Psst: Corporate monopolistic giant) and Flowers-to-go (Psst: Corporate giant wannabe).

or

You can just let people enjoy the FREEDOM to do what they want to do without you interfering with THEIR lives.

What a concept!

FREEDOM to pursue happiness without the interference of dimwits who just hate it when you're enjoying yourself.

reply to post by FissionSurplus


I have never shopped on a black Friday...and I don't care about it at all.

There are plenty of other days to shop that have sales; or better yet; make the gifts.

reply to post by schuyler


pretty sure the OP isn't so much hating for the sake of hating as much as hating how disgusting and inconsiderate people are. stepping over a dying man so you can get that $50 gift card for being an obedient slave and purchasing that ipad.

also being FORCED to work on thanksgiving day (through dinner no less) is just a cop out and those workers should shut up and be thankful their corporate masters are even LETTING them work for their 8.50/hr

reply to post by DarthMuerte


I hear ya. There are a lot of people with whom shopping is a hobby. Of course, that is their right, but these are the same people who freak out when their credit card payments come due and they can only afford to pay the minimum.

reply to post by Daemonicon


LOL. Very true. Thanks for all we have, now let's get more stuff!