Oh Black Friday how I loathe you. You taunt me with your sweet deals. Flashing me with super low prices on large LCD HDTVs, so that I can see the high-def craters on Morpheus’ face in The Matrix, a 10mp slim camera that fits in your pocket, for those whip-it-out moments when your friend’s face is being defiled by penis drawings because he was the first to crash on the bed, a GPS system for those times when you missed a damn turn and end up in the ghetto part of town, and let’s not forget the cheap deals for new laptops, for when your dad is attempting to use your computer for the first time and now your computer is infected, rendering your computer useless. Damn you Black Friday! Well, it’s my fault for being a slave to you and your capitalistic holiday.
There were a lot of good deals online, but I decided that I should have a real Black Friday experience at a B&M store. My friend said that the Circuit City in Newport Beach would be ideal because most of the people looking for cheap deals are middle and lower class, and those people, including me, would probably be at the local stores. He was right.
We checked out the local Circuit City at around 2am, and the consumers have already been camping out with tents and chairs. And here I thought nerds were the only ones that liked to camp out on sidewalks. The nearby Wal-Mart was even worse. The parking lot was packed on a 2am as if people were attending a Jonas Brothers’ concert.
After a 30 minute drive, we arrived at Newport’s Fashion Island. The main entrance is surrounded by two rows of palm trees decorated with Christmas lights. A nearby sidewalk with no stores in proximity had campers waiting (Why?). I drove up to the Circuit City there and parked right in front of the store between two other cars with people inside already sleeping. There was no one lined up at the store yet. Cool! I snoozed for an hour and woke up at 4am and saw lines forming, maybe around 10 people. I woke up again at 5am and looked to see the line, but nobody was there. “Shit, they’re already inside!” as a shouted to my friend.
We go inside and it’s hot with no AC. There weren’t that many people inside for a Black Friday. I was on a specific goal to look for a camera for my girlfriend for a Christmas present, and maybe some deals on some HDTVs for me. I was stopped by different employees many times about different products they were trying to sell before I could get to my camera. “Would you like to buy a flash drive?” asked a pimply-faced, scrawny worker.
“I don’t need one,” answered my friend.
“Of course you need one. Everybody needs a flash drive,” in a squirrel-like voice.
Once I found the camera, one of the store employees asked that I get the sd card for it, so I took one with me. Then he suggested that I get the bag for the camera for only two bucks, not a bad deal. Lastly, he mentions that I buy a camera printer, and that’s when I had enough.
After my purchase, my girlfriend calls me at another store, telling me that she was going to buy a really cheap camera. I told her to not buy the camera, and that’s when she found out that I was going to get her a camera. There goes my surprise Christmas present.
After all that, all I bought for Black Friday was a camera, a bag for the camera, and an sd card for the camera. There were no good deals for HDTVs at Circuit City. Most of their other items were regular price and they were trying to sell it to me, making me think I’m getting a good deal. That’s how they try to get you. They lure you in with a few of their cheap deals, hoping that once you’re at the store, you’ll get sucked into buying their other products.
I know our economy is struggling, but I don’t think even Black Friday can save it or Circuit City. Black Friday has become a day for companies to exploit. It’s become a day for crazed shoppers, stepping over a dead employee, while trying to rush to buy their cheap items. It turns us into violent animals at packed stores where two people fighting over the same item gets shot by a third person so that they can get that item. Plus, the sleep deprivation and cold weather from Thanksgiving and Black Friday gave me a cold. Black Friday, I hope you die a painful death!
Reboot
Dec 1, 2008 -
I had to work opening shift for black Friday, and my god, people already disgust me, but on black Friday, people just are monstrous.
Ex. Walmart, i couldnt believe that people just kept on shopping while the man just slowly died over a 40 minute period, and those some people trampled a pregnant women. Absolutely disgusting.
Stewie
Dec 1, 2008 -
Wow, I hope those people feel bad that they killed a man.
Mongoose
Dec 2, 2008 -
I decided to give up on Black Friday last year. This just isn’t worth it unless you save $300 or more. The stress and the lack of sleep ruins my whole day. I cannot be a slave to items i do not need. Must go watch Fight Club again.
Reboot
Dec 2, 2008 -
There trying to figure out of there going to lay blame to Walmart or the people.
I say charge those shoppers with Involuntary manslaughter. People knew he was injured and ignored it. The first call to police wasnt made till 40 minutes after(ironically thats the average time it takes for someone to complete there shopping in a store)
Walmart should be partly blamed for not having the proper security. I work at Best Buy, and we had actual police at our store to make sure people kept in order.
just a shame, and the pregnant women those same people trampled, her baby was born a month early and was born healthy.
Cricket
Dec 2, 2008 -
I’m glad that the woman and baby is okay.
That’s terrible how no one helped him out for forty minutes. If I was the guy’s family, I’d sue the people involved and Wal Mart. I can’t believe none of the employees noticed he was being trampled.
Black Friday’s deals this year weren’t even that great.
Ccfmds
Dec 2, 2008 -
Walmart is evil and thus I never shop there….please check out the documentary (yes its slanted, of course) Walmart: The High Cost of Low Prices. It’s readily available on DVD and online sites (including youtube).
Reboot
Dec 3, 2008 -
then also the shootout at a toys r us. I mean my god, nothing is worth dieing for at a toy store!
Ccfmds:
I dont like Walmart either, they’ve ruined alot of mom and pop stores i like in alabama where i used to live. Where i lived it used to be quite and country, now that the walmarts are there its turning into a mini Los Angeles.