Wikipedia lists no less than almost a dozen tragic and violent “Black Friday” events in history. Many of these are protests or riots over noble ideas that sadly ended in lives lost. But this time of year, Black Friday becomes a popular term in reference to crazy markdowns at stores the day after Thanksgiving – and the crazy behavior it inspires.
As Black Friday ads begin to leak on the internet for this year (including some of our rebate offers here at Goedeker’s) here is a look back at some of the worst examples of human behavior related to Black Friday shopping.
Wal-Mart Employee Trampled To Death
In 2008, a part-time Wal-Mart employee was trampled by a stampede of Black Friday shoppers. The Long Island, NY
Shooters Kill Each Other in Toys ‘R Us
That same fateful day in 2008, a Palm Desert, CA Toys R Us store was the site of a shooting
Walmart Video Game Fight
While it seems there is a few videos that can be titled “Wal-Mart Video Game Area Fight”, here is one from 2012:
Target Line Jumping Fight
Also from last year, attempted line jumping at a Target store in Bowling Green, KY results in a fight.
Stores Start Black Friday on Thanksgiving
Each year, more and more retailers are opening on Thanksgiving and extending the manic shopping holiday into the national holiday of gratitude and family togetherness.
This year, K-mart and Sears are going to be open Thanksgiving all day and into Black Friday, requiring their employees to make other Thanksgiving plans. Toys ‘R Us will open at 5pm on Thanksgiving.
Last year, Wal-mart and several other retailers opened around 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving, continuing a trend of opening earlier and earlier each year. In 2011, many retailers opened at midnight, and before that Black Friday sales started in the wee hours of Friday morning, allowing employees to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Is this push to spread out the craziness, or is it a greedy push to get more shoppers into their own store? Either way, it is prompting a great deal of backlash from retail employees.
Avoid The Crazy And Shop Online With Goedeker’s
While our employees celebrate Thanksgiving with their families, the Goedeker’s website will be online to take your orders. We’ve already started posting some of the great rebates that will be effective after Thanksgiving.
On Black Friday, stay home and stay safe, while saving hundreds of dollars on major appliances. There’s really no reason to get a black eye over saving a few dollars at the local big box store.
