(People camping outside Best Buy for the 5am opening on "Black Friday. Richfield, MN, USA at 7:00pm on Thanksgiving 2008) Creative Commons section of Flickr.com
YPSILANTI , Mich.—As the shopping season falls upon us and the most chaotic shopping day of the year draws near, many shoppers plan on acting responsible and keeping their cool when the stores open early on Nov 27.
The day after Thanksgiving, known in this country as Black Friday, is one of the year’s biggest shopping days and marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season. Many retail stores, such as Target, K-Mart, and Best Buy offer a number of different discounts and sales on items. Many eager costumes camp out and line up at the doors as early as 12 a.m. to be the first to take advantage of the deals
Although this is a day for any smart shopper to look forward to, recently shoppers have been losing control. Many injuries and even deaths have occurred.
Published reports say that on Black Friday 2008 a Walmart employee was trampled to death by a stamped of eager shoppers in Long Island, New York. In Palms Desert, Calif, two young men, Alex Moreno and Juan Meza, killed each other over a dispute in a Toys "R" Us. Many other injuries took place that day which draws nervousness to many stores and future costumers.
Terrel Brumfield, a 37 -year- old Blue Cab employee and frequent Black Friday shopper, said he feels bad for the families of those who died in such a senseless cause.
“The story about the Toy’s "R" Us killing still amazes me to this day. People have taken something as enjoyable as shopping and turned it into something dangerous. I still plan on shopping at a few stores this year but I will be going to places where the crowds aren’t bad,” Brumfield said.
Dillen Howard, a 24-year-old graduate student at the University of Michigan, and who is also a frequent Black Friday shopper said he well take precautions when he goes out this year.
“Because of last year’s accidents, I don’t even plan on going out to the stores till about 1 p.m. I don’t want to be among the crazies too early in the morning. I use to be able to get out there super early with a group of friends but I’ve just gotten tired of dealing with the overly anxious crowed, “Howard said.
Although some costumers are worried about what’s going to happen on that day, many retail store employees have prepared themselves and are ready to take on the huge crowds.
Elle Jones, a 26-year-old Target employee said the store in Ypsilanti has plenty of employees on schedule to work that morning and plans on having enough security to prevent a repeat of the Walmart accident last year.
“I worked here last Black Friday and we really didn’t experience too many problems. Of course, people were really anxious to get in, and things were hectic but people weren’t out of control. This year we have taken a little more precaution for safety purposes but I don’t think things will get out of hand,” Jones said.
When Nov 27 comes around future shoppers and store employees everywhere will all agree that they hope things go more smoothly than last year. Holiday shopping for love ones should be an exciting experience and not one that will result in a tragic news story.
For a smooth Black Friday shopping experience, Jones said that people should follow a few tips.
“People should already have in mind what they want to buy, have a price range in mind, don’t rush, be considerate of others, have fun and be safe,” she said.
(Additional information found on http://www.monacome.com/2008/12/black-friday-deaths-walmart-toys-r-us.html)
I work in retail so I know how people can get on black Friday. There rude overly anxious and they act as if they've never been shopping before. This was a good topic to write on, I would have liked to seen more tips on how to be a safe and curious shopper. Other then that good job.
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