The phenomenon that is Black Friday has come and gone and boy am I glad that is over for another year.
I for one think that the whole idea of Black Friday is ridiculous.
It is the one day of the year where the retail industry tells people they need to go out and shop and for the most part people listen. People go out in droves, waiting in line for hours and then flock their way into stores like it's the end of the world.
Black Friday is a black smudge on the civilized world. It is the one day were all common courtesy goes out the window and people seem to do whatever is necessary to get the item they want.
This year's big event was just as disappointing as in years past. Fights broke out, people were arrested, stores were damaged and in a few cases people were injured.
In Tustin, California a brawl broke out at a Kohl's at 1 a.m. on Black Friday. Three females wrestled around the store for a few minutes before they were arrested and taken to hospital to treat facial lacerations.
In Wyoming, a woman was taken to hospital with internal injuries and broken bones after she was hit by an SUV. The vehicle had driven through a police barrier to get to a line forming outside a Walmart in preparation of Black Friday.
In Norwalk California, two women got into a pushing and shoving match over a Barbie doll. Imagine that, two grown women fighting over a Barbie doll. Ridiculous.
While there is always a police presence on Black Friday, most of the time it doesn't help, because just like common courtesy and the idea of acting like a civilized human being gets thrown out the window, so too does having respect for authority.
In Indianapolis, police ejected a local man from a mall for being “too rowdy”. The man, angry at his ejection, walked into the parking lot and punched another man in the face, giving him a bloody nose. When an officer stepped in, the man punched him in the jaw. The man's girlfriend also took a couple shots at the officer. Needless to say, they eventually were arrested.
The craze didn't just contain itself to the U.S. This year saw the Black Friday “spirit” work its way into the United Kingdom, where mayhem resulted in more fights and injures.
BBC reported that a shopping outlet in Oxfordshire had to close for a time because of the gridlock people that had herded themselves into the store and overcrowded the facility.
Fights broke out between shoppers in Stretford, and a woman suffered minor injuries after being flattened by a large flat screen TV.
These are the many examples of the shenanigans that occur on Black Friday. While this year did show some improvement, with sales apparently down 11 per cent in the United States. It appears we still have a long way to go before it will be civilized.
