The Crazy Shopper Black Friday Stories Are Coming In For 2011!

[stationchief]

She turned herself in.

 

Black Friday pepper spray suspect surrenders in LA

A woman suspected of showering Black Friday shoppers with pepper spray surrendered to authorities but was released pending further investigation after she refused to discuss the incident, police said Saturday.

[peppysfireball]

I live in a town of 3000 and our nearest walmart is 10 miles away in a town of 5000. They called in police from 3 surrounding towns due to fighting over towels. I don't see cheap walmart towels being worth fighting over.

[jade2002]

I think the best way to do Black Friday is to just put a limit on everything, even the low priced items such as the towels. That way you can get your limit of 5 or 10(whatever the limit is) and the next person can too instead of the first or second person in front of you taking 50 and then chaos and fights break out because you didn't get your 1.28 towel. If you wait until the last miute to roll in for whatever you came for, that's your loss but at least with the limit you will know if you have a chance or not. Putting a limit on everything just seems safer to me.

[KBsDarling]

Its funny I will do the dvd area I will do the movies...I make hubs do the towels...those little old ladies are vicious!

[jade2002]

Yes, they are. I've never even tried for the towels but would like to have gotten some. Dh said he would go after the towels this year and I'm sure he could have gotten plenty. He's over 6 foot so he could have just leaned over those women and got what he wanted but it's just not worth the chaos. If they want them that bad that thier willing to kill, they can have them.

 

The same goes for those 2.88 appliances. They act just as bad over them and in my opinion, those things are junk. I got one of those choppers one year and it worked twice and that was it.

Edited November 26, 2011 by jade2002

[KBsDarling]

I know it was all over the news but the silly waffle makers were one of the things people were stupid insane over at my WM...Why?!?!?!?

[tinkrbel]

After ALL the complaining I did over my Walmart opening at 6 it was a godsend. I didn't like the line maze that reminded me of the abattoir maze for slaughter houses or the big pokey out legs they had every foot or so but that was the biggest hazard I ran into. If they'd made each lane wider it wouldn't have mattered but they practically rand into each other in some places and could have easily injured myself or any other genius who goes BF shopping in flip flops:P I guess the opening time was a well kept secret because while the crowd was probably close to 400-500 there were cops at the entrance to parking lot with ppl directing traffic into empty spots "disney world" style, outsourced security at every other rung of maze against the wall and then some guy on a platform lift watching over the orderly line who gave his orderly mumbo jumbo as opening time approached. Both the employees and other shoppers were very cordial, one of the employees blocking off an aisle was jostling us to buy some smaller tv that I guess someone dumped near him.

 

I think it's a combination of shopper vs. store fault. Shoppers will do what they feel they can get away with. More security or more visible security would make it less rampant but there will always be those people that could care less about consequences. After watching the grandfather video I seriously considered next year, I would not be OK after seeing that happen to a complete stranger much less if I knew the person. I think I'll redo the mostly online stuff with minor stuff in stores and see how it goes. After reading some updates it seems like you can still get screwed in-store shopping as well even after camping out.

[Illinoismom]

I have shopped at the same walmart for the past 15 years and never ever had problems or saw problems till this past black Friday. I am always the first to help people

but this year or maybe it's the economy or maybe it is the lack of enough stock for the ad. I did learn that they have to have at least 3 of an item in order to advertise it for sale. But I am so ashamed of people and their actions

[mimihuihui]

I think the best way to do Black Friday is to just put a limit on everything, even the low priced items such as the towels. That way you can get your limit of 5 or 10(whatever the limit is) and the next person can too instead of the first or second person in front of you taking 50 and then chaos and fights break out because you didn't get your 1.28 towel. If you wait until the last miute to roll in for whatever you came for, that's your loss but at least with the limit you will know if you have a chance or not. Putting a limit on everything just seems safer to me.

Agree.

[mgmckny]

Yes we should as Walmart seems to have ZERO policies or rules in place. It is like they get pleasure out of seeing the free for all and chaos. Putting palettes on the floor and letting people swarm around them is unsafe! Why no ticket system? Why let the 24 hours ones stay open all night? Shut them down for a few hours and put out the items. Last year they had no ropes or barricades to direct the flow of traffic

But the Walmarts in my area seem to have more organization than in other parts of the country. While not perfect, there at least was a plan in place in the electronics area that kept the lines from getting out of hand. Now the stores were overpacked and I think they should come up with a plan for that maybe as if there were a serious incident, the fire department would never be able to get through the throngs of people in lines waiting to check out.

[theboyzmom]

It just makes me so sad...I remember the years where people would all be happy and help each other out on BF. Now you have to be physically fit and prepared to defend yourself

 

Can we flag this thread for next year when the first post comes up about, "tell me how to take my kids with me on BF and don't try to talk me out of it"....even those Walmarts (where most of the chaos seems to happen) that seem safe one year become part of the mayhem the next year...I get frightened for the little ones that I see out on BF

[Deal Grabber]

Its not just at WM.Target didnt escape the media either.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/27/black-friday-target_n_1115372.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk3%7C115827

[revecca]

Sorry, for me there is nothing out there that I need so bad as to go out Black Friday (our children stay home as well). I can't believe how bad it's getting. The only thing I need to help me get ready for Christmas is this site (discount prices, codes, free shipping, fellow gottadealers for company), my rebates program, and a mug of hot cocoa with the perfect marshmallow ratio. :)

 

*Pepper Spray Seriously! What's next people serving hot cocoa with exlax in it!

[scrapwave]

Not sure about all the other walmarts...but my walmart had the ends of isles blocked with huge pallets and big wire baskets so you couldn't get through most of the isles anyway. There have got to be some OSHA and safety codes being violated by blocking soo many isles and letting so many people in the store at one time. If there was a fire or other emergency alot of people would be trapped because of the blocking of the isles. And the isles that would be open access would be like trying to get through a stampede. It's just scary what could happen in WM on BF. They need to get a better system.....

[samisma]

Not sure about all the other walmarts...but my walmart had the ends of isles blocked with huge pallets and big wire baskets so you couldn't get through most of the isles anyway. There have got to be some OSHA and safety codes being violated by blocking soo many isles and letting so many people in the store at one time. If there was a fire or other emergency alot of people would be trapped because of the blocking of the isles. And the isles that would be open access would be like trying to get through a stampede. It's just scary what could happen in WM on BF. They need to get a better system.....

Our walmart did this as well in addition to roping off some of the aisles. it was mostly on the side where they had the toys and towells (making an L of pallets). The aisles are already small, and they started doing this after we arrived. I actually got anxious at one point because I couldn't figure out how to get OUT without going near the crowd of people which I managed to avoid almost entirely (and on purpose).

[ajoyw001]

Story from my local Target store. We were delayed about 40 minutes, but glad that the Target Manager had the sense to lock the doors before people really became upset. Her attempt to cut in line upset a lot of people!

 

Police arrest Black Friday shopper

 

HOLLAND, Mich. (WOOD) - A woman was arrested by police just before midnight on Thursday at the Holland Target.

 

According to a witness, the woman was trying to jump to the front of the Black Friday line. Because of this, Target called police instead instead of opening the doors at midnight.

 

According to the witness, the woman was arrested.

 

Once she was taken away, Target opened the doors

 

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/ottawa_county/police-subdue-black-friday-target-shopper#

[HankMonk]

You miss the whole concept of Christmas! It IS about commercial value and shopping. Not trying to stir up the religious zealots...just pointing out part of the traditional holiday message. Read the Bible.

 

The birth of Jesus led to the first shopping spree as the Wise Men hit the local shopping market and snagged some cool gift items. Gold was at a jeweler offering a 70% off sale, frankincense was picked up at a trendy perfume shop, and myrrh was found at one of the first Bath & Body shops. The wise men, as implied in the Bible, were respectful of the others' shopping and did NOT go to the same shops.

 

The WM traveled by night and obviously shopped at a late night sale...the FIRST BLACK FRIDAY sale.

 

The Magi were later designated by Pope Paul III in 1545 AD as the patron saints of shopping. Yes, it sounds silly, but history is often full of ridiculous events.

[Deal Grabber]

Even though BF has come and gone there are still BF commericals on TV and i just happen to be watching the Kohls one this morning and noticed that there is a lady shopping and singing about something(lol) when she passes another lady and her cart.She must of seen something the other lady had and snatcched it out of her cart and ran to the check out line while the other lady just stood there and watched her.Its a wonder ppl act the way they act.The media even endorses it.

[tinkrbel]

Not sure about all the other walmarts...but my walmart had the ends of isles blocked with huge pallets and big wire baskets so you couldn't get through most of the isles anyway.

Ours had caution tape and employees. Aside from a small bottleneck between electronics and children's clothes it was fine but the store is a few months old, has wide aisles and couldn't open before 6 due to strip mall regulations. I'm sure by next year everyone will know and it'll be chaos. I think my years of B&M BF shopping may soon end, the news and GD stories are pretty horrible.

[123abc]

My WM had employees manding the stations. People were in their line of choice. The movies/dvds were free to grab when I got there at 8 p.m. That's all I got, plus the rubbermaid containers. We were out of the store by 10:07! So I couldn't tell you how it was once the wrapping came free. If I was after some of those items, I don't see how you can go at it alone. You need a tag team of people to get those deals, or just go to another store or order online.

 

Once out, the line of cars in front of the store was crazy. There were even cars parked on the main road going into WM.

 

Macy's, Bealls, & JCP were great. A lot of stock and if you were prepared with a list, you got what you wanted. People were civilized at the lines, it was just an insanely amount of people everywhere!