In war there is the phrase, “acceptable losses”. In the economic war of our current recession it seems that for Walmart the injuries and death at their Black Friday Chaos Race falls under the guise of “acceptable losses” in the name of remaining #1.
Walmart spokesman Greg Rossiter said in USA Today:
“Except for a few unfortunate incidents, we’ve heard positive feedback from customers and our associates going through the biggest shopping day of the year.”
Now that’s a good way to put a spin on it! Give that man a raise!
As we enter the season of caring and brotherhood the worst of human actions arise. According to the Detroit Free Press:
“Violence erupted overnight during Black Friday shopping as at least 24 people were injured in a series of incidents, including nine at Walmart stores in the U.S.”
I don’t know if the Walmart shoppers are prone to violence or if it’s just these stories that the media chose to cover. Since it seems everyone today carries a video camera in their pocket I have to assume that if there were mass violence in other venues we would have seen it.
What do you think? Would you pepper spray your neighbor for a bargain? Have we really sunk this low?
Off The Mainstream 
No I would not pepper spray someone, a Taser one the other hand……..
The good thing about a Taser is the lack of collateral damage. Wise chose. Happy Holidays!
Why black friday and why shop on that day.
Sorry Harry, I should have given the readers outside the USA some background. Black Friday is the day after the Thanksgiving holiday. It is so named because it is the biggest shopping day of the year and the day that retailer’s accounts theoretically go into the “Black”. In the USA, Thanksgiving is the last Thursday in November and the official beginning of the Christmas shopping season, although that season really starts about the first of October now. Thanksgiving commemorates the occasion where the Native Americans introduced the early American colonists to native foods and crops so the colonists wouldn’t starve to death. After the first harvest they all sat down and had a great feast together. The early colonists then introduced the Native American to venereal disease, stole all their land, and then tried to kill them all. It was a happy time and set the stage for much of our foreign policy in the centuries to come.
Alan, that’s the best short description of Thanksgiving that I’ve ever read… Thanks for cheering me up; I needed it today!
I see now, you are right about the poor Indians murdered for their land, gold and oil.
Jeesh Harry, You sound surprised I was right. Well, me too!
I’m going to go with: No. I would not pepper spray another shopper. I don’t shop on Black Friday though.
Well then you must have been raised by some awesome parents. Good answer!
Black Friday consisted of eating leftovers! No pepper spray here!!! Crazy world….
Leftovers are even better than the original dinner. Thanks for stopping in, Jim. Now go paint another beautiful picture!
I’ve never been shopping on Black Friday. I don’t even like to leave the house that day. I really don’t like shopping at all – I only go to the grocery store so we don’t starve to death.
I’m with you Nancy!! Thanks for your comment.
I would never pepper spray anybody unless it’s over a designer handbag …
We all have our limits.
I go last minute shopping on Wed evening before Thanksgiving for pork chops to cook for supper, wondering why the lines are so long, why the baskets are so full of so much food etc. This means i go shopping again on Black Friday, not for tv’s though, and nowhere near a Walmart. Will this attitude get me kicked out of the country? We do watch the football . . .
Patti, I think there are plenty of other things to get you deported besides your shopping habits.
Alan, thank you for the reassurance, I think . . .
This whole concept of a labeled shopping day to get folks to rush to the stores with the illusion that they are getting excellent deals when in fact all they are getting is a slight discount on already overpriced items is not only misleading but dangerous. It is dangerous because of what is written in the post above but also because we are driven to spend more money that we don’t have and hence sink deeper into a recession.
I wrote a post on this in my blog under the heading “Super Spend Your Money Days” and yuo can read it at http://www.iamtiredof.com/?p=477
And you are correct Jim Cahill in the black Friday used to be a day to rest and eat leftovers…!
All good points, Nuri. I’ll be checking out your blog. Thanks for stopping by and following.
Thank you Allan, I hope you checkout the site and also to contribute to it. I like yours a lot and have added it to my blog.