Erin Seils |
Black Friday: bargains, bustle and sometimes pure brutality. The day after the American holiday, Thanksgiving, is a huge day for both online and in-store retailers. Prices drop drastically and people either flood into shops to find the cheapest deals or spend the day in front of a screen, searching for the best buys. This is a great opportunity for everyone to get their Christmas shopping early and cheaply. However, because this day and, in some cases, the days after it are so popular for early Christmas gift-getting, shops can become scary places.
Attempts have been made by retailers to introduce the concept of Black Friday to the UK since the early 21st century, but the predominant influence that caused the UK to welcome the American tradition into the country was Asda. The British founded company is owned by the American retail giant Walmart who announced “Walmart’s Black Friday by ASDA” in 2013. Fights broke out in some branches of Asda in 2013. This is not uncommon in the home of the tradition, America. People are so desperate to get what they want that they will resort to violence and even steal items out of other shoppers’ arms . One shopper who witnessed violent break-outs in an Asda in Belfast’s Westwood Shopping Centre in 2013, described the scenes as “frightening”.
This year, in 2015, fights in the UK have not been very common, with very few fist-fights being reported, although that is not to say that no brawls have occurred in the US. Videos taken in a Walmart in Texas, show customers fighting over discounted flat-screen TVs.
To avoid the frankly terrifying scenes in some shops, many people have taken to the internet to try to find a bargain. “Cyber Monday” was created by marketing companies in 2005 to encourage people to shop online on the first Monday after Thanksgiving. While it seems that online shopping is the best way to prevent injury in the days between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, police have warned shoppers that they may have been the victims of cyber criminals.
Buying online is most likely safer in some places on this particular day, but people must always be wary of the dangers of buying online and make sure to check that the website is not fake before purchasing.
