Okay, so I don’t usually unleash my opinions too often on this blog but I thought this was a worthy subject. Black Friday, as we all know, is a “retail holiday” conjured up by the powers that be, the corporate monsters of the retail world. It is supposed to be the day that takes their profit margins out of the red and into the black. Now I’m all for having profit margins in the black, after all, I run a business too. The issue I have is how they go about it. Taking advantage of our materialistic society, they build a perception that you have to buy your Christmas presents on this day or else you will “loose out” on all the great deals. Of course, their playing on the fact that your not smart enough to realize that in a week, the same products will be the same price! So again, I can’t fail the companies for creating a monumental buzz in the retail world that nets them millions, though capitalistic, it’s all about making the dollar. So if we can’t really fault the retail companies why am I writing this you ask? Enter the real problem – YOU & ME!

I vowed I would never participate in a Black Friday as long as I lived. After seeing the mayhem year after year on TV, after hearing all of the disgusting stories of people being killed, it was a no brainer. Then one day 2 years ago, I “really needed” a new GPS and Staples was selling the particular brand and model that I wanted for $200. the original price was $400. Now how could I pass up that deal right? All I had to do was be one of the first 20 or so in line the morning of Black Friday and it was mine. I got lost in that materialistic hoopla and lost sight and control (obviously) of the logical thought section of my brain so I did it. I get there sometime around 3am (Staples opened at 6am), number 10 in line, joined by a handful of other loonies and started the wait. The time seemed to slow down, mainly because of the freezing temps, like molasses on a cold day. As time went on, more and more people showed up. The line had gone from 10 to 75 in about 2 hours. There was a law enforcement presence but I later realized, that was their only purpose. So it was about 5:50am, the line had to be over 100 deep when a women came out from the store with a handful of colored index cards. This is when the mayhem started, the display of disgusting humanity, the nerve, the ignorance, the stupidity. She yelled out “if your here for the laptop you need a blue card and I only have 10″ the riot then ensued. Here you have a huge store knowing that they have created this want and desire for a product, mainly for its price, that they advertised all over the state and they only have 10????? So what do you think happened next? The 50 or so people that were there for those 10 laptops rushed the front of the store and mad an attempt to get a ticket. That means all those people that have been there since 3am or earlier were now getting cut in line from people that had just got there 10 minutes prior. People were pulling up in their cars and jumping to the front of the line. Are you getting a sense of the chaos and inhumanity yet? Can you image waiting in line for 3 hours in the freezing cold for something that gets swiped away from you by someone who just pulled up in their car to cut you in line? It was getting out of control to say the least and nor the woman from Staples or the cops could do anything about it. People were shoving and screaming at each other and the cops just watched. She then called out for the GPS, again stating she had only 10 or 12 and again the people rushed the front of the line. Faced with a dilemma here, I regressed into Military Eric and started throwing the cutters out of my way. After fighting through the mob, I managed to get one of the last few tickets for the GPS. After all was said and done, I left feeling like I had just been dooped by the man. I fell for his trick and he made a fool of me. Better yet, he made a fool out of our society and I bought the hype, I stooped to the level he wanted me to all for the mighty dollar. On that day, as I felt less than human, I vowed never again.

Now you may think to yourself I got what I deserved and you may be right. I guess writing this is sort of a way to cleanse my soul if you will, a redemption, a deed to society. If I can stop one person from doing this maybe it will save someones life, really! I know it sounds crazy but every year someone dies on this sad day due to the incompetence of human action and we are the only ones to blame. All that I ask is that you think about what your doing if you decide to join the Black Friday hysteria. Christmas is about the birth of Jesus, the gift of giving love, friendship and family, but I’m sure you don’t need me to remind you of that ;) If you do take the Black Friday challenge, be safe and take into consideration everyone around you. The Black Friday madness last all day so no matter what time your out there, your one encounter away from meeting a person that has been up all day trying to get all of their shopping done and will fight to the death for that parking spot. After all, is a “deal” for a GPS, video game or crappy HP laptop really worth possibly getting hurt or even arrested for?

I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving and safe Black Friday. If you need me, I will be hanging out with the most important people in my life at home. Probably testing out my new leaf blower and baking some Raspberry White Chocolate Bread Pudding.

Namaste :)

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