An observation of Black Friday

agent77 · #1 11-28-2011, 10:43 PM

So I was watching a bunch of youtube vids of the crowds/mayhem/pepper spray of black Friday and wondered about a building's maximum occupancy (you know, the one set by the fire marshall). Surely most Walmarts had exceeded theirs, but there were still several police officers around for "crowd control." (BTW, a business using publicly funded cops as their security guards irks the hell outta me.)

Now a lot of these cops seem like they're ready to arrest/pepper spray anyone that looks at them wrong, and I'm sure they will use the excuse, "with large crowds like this a mob mentality is very likely to occur so we take all threats seriously."

Wouldn't it be safer, and perhaps "more legal," to control the crowd at the door; limiting access to the number of people allowed by the fire marshall? Are the police in any way required to report obvious fire code violations? Has Walmart ever been fined for this?

I would really like to hear your thoughts.

Steve · #2 11-29-2011, 01:09 AM

I think.....

anyone that chooses to honor the birth of the least materialistic human being to ever walk the planet by diving into the middle of the most materialistic event ever to be on the planet...

deserves whatever they get both here and on the other side.

As far as the other stuff...
The cops I expect are off duty and paid by Walmart.
As far as safer and more legal, I wouldn't want to be standing in front of 1,000 old ladies with pepper spray telling them how many can or can not come through the door. Nor would I want to be the guy that gets on the store PA and says, "The fire marshal has determined that we are over capacity and 200 of you need to leave immediately."

waleross · #3 11-29-2011, 01:34 AM

+1 to this thread. I didn't fall for all the Black Friday BS this time. I made a promise to sell( Craigs List ) what I didn't need or never played. . I only bought 1 item ($85) and (2) shirts ($43), I did this on-line and deleted all the emails as they came in. The economy is bad but yet the media pushes to get everybody to take on debt. People are without jobs,food and the gap between the have and have-nots is widening. We all saw the ads on TV with the wife saying that Black Friday is her day, please give me a break. This is the day for the retail stores to milk everybody and get their's.......All those protesters against Wall Street should have boycotted Black Friday....That's it I am done (3:33 am ) ....................

Mike M. · #4 11-29-2011, 05:21 AM

First of all, I have never, ever shopped on a Black Friday. Never fell for the hype and I never will. Second, with each passing year my shopping list has gotten smaller and smaller by choice because I've gotten sick of the expectations. You're expected to go out and buy things for someone and they're expected to buy for you and it got to the point of where it didn't mean anything to me. Last year was the first year where I actually told people "I don't need to get a gift to feel loved, so don't buy me anything because I'm not buying you anything." I'm not anti-Christmas, just sick of how you're expected to buy.

This year is differant. This year my Christmas list was charities and you know what? It's the best I've felt about the Christmas season in years.

Lady Kayri · #5 11-29-2011, 06:54 AM

Don't believe in participating in either Black Friday or the new Cyber Monday feeding frenzies. I start buying Christmas presents back in July, and am done. And what's the stupidity of Cyber Monday indicating? When I'm buying stuff online, I'm sure not going to wait for a particular day to buy. I keep an eye on prices and if it's a site that has sales, buy stuff when it's at reduced price - often save more that way than if I'd waited for Black Friday or Cyber Monday sales.

MJ5150 · #6 11-29-2011, 07:35 AM

I believe in Cyber Monday, and I did wait until that day since the stores I wanted to buy from had great deals on that day. It wouldn't make any sense to me to apply the "I'll buy it when I want to, not when someone tells me" logic when a website is offering a substantial discount on one particular day.

-Mike

Metal Matt · #7 11-29-2011, 09:37 AM

'mericuh:

NOT ok to camp/gather to protest corrupt government.

Perfectly fine to camp/gather and beat the piss out of each other to get cheap electronic garbage that'll break in 2 years.

MatticusMania · #8 11-29-2011, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike M.

First of all, I have never, ever shopped on a Black Friday.

+1

Ive got better things to do than go gift shopping on a day that millions of others will be doing the same.
As far as buying online, why not? Its not like you have to go out and deal with crowds at a store.

guy n. cognito · #9 11-29-2011, 10:21 AM

Regarding fire codes: I have family that works for Walmart, and they confirmed that fire marshals DO often attend these events and insure compliance with the occupancy limits.

You have to remember that WalMarts are HUGE stores and are allowed hundreds of people inside at a time. The crowd you are seeing is typically headed to one place:electronics. So, while electronics is certainly packed, other areas of the store may not be. I'm guessing no one is buying groceries in that mob, for example.

MJ5150 · #10 11-29-2011, 10:38 AM

Well, I'm pretty sure WalMart had bananas at .05 a pound and five gallon bottles of ketchup for $2 on Black Friday.

-Mike

nortonrider · #11 11-29-2011, 10:40 AM

How about the amount of money that was spent, Stores boasted record sales.
I thought that everybody was supposed to be broke, bad economy and all.

MatticusMania · #12 11-29-2011, 10:45 AM

Who is everybody? While Im not riding high on the hog Im certainly not "broke". At least not til I hit the gas pump later today...

MJ5150 · #13 11-29-2011, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nortonrider

How about the amount of money that was spent, Stores boasted record sales.
I thought that everybody was supposed to be broke, bad economy and all.

Is that what some man on the ray-dee-o told you after he told you what kind of cigarettes to smoke?

-Mike

Joe Gress · #14 11-29-2011, 12:19 PM

Black Friday is when my family gets blackout drunk after putting up Christmas lights.

rojo412 · #15 11-29-2011, 01:17 PM

I want to figure out a way to throw a "Black Friday Observation Party"...

Imagine, if you will, being able to sit in a comfy room, above the sales floor of a WalMart or Best Buy. Enjoying cocktails with friends, as you watch "humanity" in action.
I would do that on Black Friday... but **** shopping, that's for sure!

+1 to Steve.

Quote:

anyone that chooses to honor the birth of the least materialistic human being to ever walk the planet by diving into the middle of the most materialistic event ever to be on the planet...

deserves whatever they get both here and on the other side.

nortonrider · #16 11-29-2011, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJ5150

Is that what some man on the ray-dee-o told you after he told you what kind of cigarettes to smoke?

-Mike

Which part?
That black Friday sales were up or that we are in a recession?

and fwiw, I don't get my information from the radio, I watch FOX news.

notverygood · #17 11-29-2011, 01:43 PM

[quote=Steve;11817423]I think.....

anyone that chooses to honor the birth of the least materialistic human being to ever walk the planet by diving into the middle of the most materialistic event ever to be on the planet...

deserves whatever they get both here and on the other side.

I would think as long as you don't trample anyone and observe the golden rule that shopping on Black Friday would be no different then shopping on any other day. Unless there has been some new info come out i'm not aware of.

Bloodhammer · #18 11-29-2011, 01:50 PM

DerHoggz · #19 11-29-2011, 02:12 PM

I slept until noon and then rode my bike. There was like no traffic, fantastic.

GregC · #20 11-29-2011, 02:20 PM

Black Friday, yuck.

Cyber Monday might be cool, but I always end up flying back from Thanksgiving weekend on Monday instead of Sunday to save on airfare.