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?
