Once a year on black Friday, people flock to shopping mall parking lots across the country to take part in America’s favorite sport. Competitive shopping. Fully loaded with a belly of turkey and wine, deal seekers fight, claw, stampede, and occasionally pepper spray their opponents in order to win the opportunity to pay for things.
A woman at a Walmart in San Fernando Valley used mace against 20 other shoppers after a scuffle broke out on Thursday night. CBS reports that the incident occurred shortly after the Walmart opened for Black Friday at 10:20 pm.
One shopper said:
“People started screaming, pulling and pushing each other, and then the whole area filled up with pepper spray.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, the “competitive shopping” incident occurred in the video game aisle. Apparently the woman was trying to get a competitive edge on the other customers.
In the woman’s defense, Walmart was selling a blue Wii for less than $100. Clearly a good enough deal to justify an attack on fellow customers. I mean opponents.
Another customer said:
“I heard screaming and I heard yelling. Moments later, my throat stung. I was coughing really bad and watering up.”
The LA Times reports that despite the pepper-spray incident, the Black Friday sale at Wal-Mart continued. One customer, who arrived an hour after the pepper spray incident, went into the store with a “pepper spray schmepper spray attitude. The woman said:
“I don’t care. I’m still getting my TV. I’ve never seen Wal-Mart so crazy, but I guess it could have been worse.”
Next year, let’s keep “competitive shopping” where it belongs. On TV.
Did you attend a Black Friday sale? Did you have to fight for your deals?