Black Friday MADNESS (Video): Crowds Stampede Into Stores, Trample Shoppers

Buffalo's WIVB has posted video from a Target store where a deal-hungry 'Black Friday' crowd got out of line:

Crazed Black Friday shoppers began piling up on each other.

"It went from controlled to a mob in less than five minutes and it just got nasty," said a shopper.

Watch:

Here are some more videos posted today on YouTube (warning: some intense scenes and adult language):

Comments

[Social Shrink]

01:11 PM on 11/29/2010

Black Friday is definitely an experience. A reader sent us a question about a mother using this day as a day to spend time with her son - only problem is the son can't stand Black Friday chaos.

Check out our advice on how to deal with it: http://thesocialshrink.blogspot.com/2010/11/holiday-sales-worth-getting-trampled-on.html

[hornedcog]

04:28 PM on 11/28/2010

I propose black long sleeved t shirts with a large Uncle Sam crucifix on the back. On the front would be a pocket sized greeting of "Merry X'mas".

[ArabianMoney]

01:54 AM on 11/28/2010

Well that all proved a bit of a let-down for those expectiing this to signal an economic recovery. Let's just face it this is just not happening. Those stock market prices are far too high, and selling now for 2011 makes very good sense, see: http://www.arabianmoney.net/us-dollar/2010/11/28/is-there-much-upside-left-for-stocks-in-2011/

[crystalsmuse]

05:10 PM on 11/27/2010

So, the day after our big day of THANKS we all pile up to trample each other over things we don't NEED, with money we don't HAVE.

(See you on Cyber Monday...)

[Mattjoe3]

01:31 PM on 11/27/2010

Target has nothing I need or want that badly.

[atl50]

10:40 AM on 11/27/2010

These look like movies from a local job fair.

[naughtYmike]

10:30 AM on 11/27/2010

I believe these people--many of them overweight--treat this day as some kind of sporting event, like the running from the bulls thing in Mexico. It is sheer madness and not for the frail or well-mannered. There appears to be some benefit to size and there is ruggedness of camping out in the dark, cold night for hours. Unlike starving people who would trample others to get to a food drop, this behavior is not directly linked to survival; therefore, I can only conclude that these people perceive this as some sort of game and find it fun.

Hey, some people enjoy watching poker games on TV and playing golf, while other people like to watch cars speeding around in little circles at 180 miles an hour and chasing tornadoes in a pickup truck.

Who can figure?

[terriblyconfused]

10:29 AM on 11/27/2010

I'm sorry: there is no deal worth being a part of that madness

[Hare]

10:03 AM on 11/27/2010

Why have companies created such system of reducing prices for only one day, creating this bizarre behavior by those who want to save some money? I went last year for the first time to accompany a foreigner who heard of black Friday and such a demeaning and horrible experience should last me until the day I'm done and contributed nothing beneficial to make me a better human being.

[Ethiopianbuzz Mike]

10:02 AM on 11/27/2010

This is a backward !

[gumbo1049]

09:57 AM on 11/27/2010

America's many Idiots sooooooooooooooooooooo proud.

[Mr Hand Returns]

09:52 AM on 11/27/2010

Fools

[mcdaidusa]

09:34 AM on 11/27/2010

I just have to wonder why these stores don't prepare in advance for this? Apple has opened how many stores now? --thousands of shoppers sleeping over for days and not one stampede! Maybe Target should have their workers greet the shoppers at the door too??

[hypnotoad72]

01:42 PM on 11/27/2010

If a $2400 MacBook Pro was reduced to the price of every other laptop with similar specifications ($1000), then it would make sense for people to play the stampeding game...

And if Target did put in greeters, they'd be trampled on to death in about 3 nanoseconds.  Management is probably sufficiently astute already to not do so, otherwise they'd end up in the same boat Walmart got into last year...

[merrylander]

09:32 AM on 11/27/2010

hungry people looking for a quick fix.

[hypnotoad72]

01:49 PM on 11/27/2010

A perceived quick fix.  Most Black Friday sales have each store carrying one or two items at the low-low-price, with a lot of other comparable models at regular prices, unless the prices went up weeks ago only to be announced as a "sale" during this period of time.  The dejected customer ends up buying the usually-priced stuff out of resignation.  Why leave empty-handed after waiting there so long?  And if it is the latter situation, inflating prices only to "reduce" them for a sale, two birds are flattened with one stone:  1) the bogus sale, and 2) conditioning leading to higher profits after the Black Friday game event ends.

[VioletsAreBlue12]

09:31 AM on 11/27/2010

And THIS is why nothing we do will get rid of Citizens United.

We don't want freedom, or democracy. We want cheap GPS units (you know, so we can avoid TSA patdowns) and reduced HDTVs.

[nahcllib]

09:45 AM on 11/27/2010

WHAT? Freedom or cheap GPS units? I don't see the connection.

[VioletsAreBlue12]

11:31 PM on 11/27/2010

You're selling out your citizenry so that corporations can gain. And the right (and to a lesser but still important degree the left) are actually begging for it!

10,000 people will stampede a Target but try to get that many that enthusiastic about their political ideology. Most prefer not to think about politics. In fact, isn't it true that on the right being an "intellectual" is somehow a stain on the character? Please, you know exactly what I meant. America is being dumbed down, and infantilized. We don't care what the adults do, so long as we have our toys.

IMHO, of course.