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Ah, Black Friday. You always present us with deals and videos of crazy people trampling each other so they can be the first to grab that $500 HDTV or Tickle Me Elmo or whatever the kids are crazy about these days. It's become such big business that there's even a struggle amongst websites to be the first to break the Black Friday ads - even Twitter is in on the act this year. But even with more attention than ever on the day, there's also more pessimism than ever because of the large decrease in consumer spending in 2008. As the economy continues to slide, will Black Friday numbers follow suit? Some stores are so concerned about profits, they're offering freebies to those brave souls who sprint through the doors at the crack of dawn in hopes to entice more people to shop. And come Saturday, as the Black Friday numbers roll in, all eyes will shift to Cyber Monday as online retailers try to fight the slumping economy as well. And, of course, there are those who fight Black Friday and all it stands for.
As the holiday season kicks off, we want to hear about your Black Friday (or anti-Black Friday) stories. Leave us a note in the comments telling us about your experiences out there on the front lines or why you stayed home.
AP Photo/Mark Lennihan
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I have to work tomorrow....
Thanks to a lay off and having to pick up a pt retail job to pay the bills, I am working my first Black Friday. Hence why I'm up at 5am. And possibly crying, haha.
But save us people that are stuck working retail (and only getting paid a flat hourly) and stay at home with your families. It's more important to enjoy the holiday with people you love then to get a buy one get one free deal on sweaters or something like that.
Well, one person that worked at a Walmart on Long Island was trampled to death this morning & another woman had a miscarriage at the same store.
I had a moment of panic last night when I thought I broke the microwave and my first thought was "Omigod...I'm going to have to go into a store on BLACK FRIDAY to get a new microwave"...I mean, you can't have a fridge full of Thanksgiving leftovers without a microwave.
But, it wasn't broke after all. Whew!! Bullet dodged.
The Walmart story is just tragic. And disgusting.I hate how people equate having a 'good Christmas' with how much stuff they can get for their kids. Like if there isn't enough stuff under the tree it's a bad Christmas.
I mean, I like buying presents for the people I love just as much as the next person, but if I could not buy the gifts, believe me...we'd still have a really awesome Christmas. And I'm not about to be a participant in this Black Friday nonsense just so I can save a few bucks. And let's be realistic people, how much money do you really save? I checked out a link from a Black Friday article and it listed the prices of lots of the popular toys and gadgets and the savings didn't really amount to all that much if you ask me.
I can remember one year when I was around 9 or 10 years old, my dad was not working (company on strike for many months), he was doing odd jobs to make ends meet. I believe my mom had like a few dollars to spend on each one of us kids. (not that I knew this at the time, I found this out in later years)...but I can tell you that it wasn't a 'bad Christmas'.
It was just the same as any other Christmas. What you remember most as kids is the snow, the time off school, the cookies, the holiday spirit and the fun.
It's sad how this Black Friday zeitgeist has taken over the holiday. How embarrassing for us as a culture to know that a crowd will trample someone to death to save a few bucks on a bunch of crap for their kids for Christmas. What a bunch of fucking assholes...getting up in the middle of the night to go camp out in a cold parking lot and then smashing a door in so they can rush to their bargains.
How will they sleep at night knowing they caused the death of one of the store's employees?