Crazed shoppers pile up at Target (video)
Wow...
I'm curious if anyone here partook in the Black Friday insanity... Personally, I think this seems like one of the various levels of hell but that's just me.
I guess if there were something genuinely useful that I actually needed and it really was available at a significant discount to any alternative method of acquisition then I might be tempted... Or maybe if I thought I could price arbitrage to actually gain... I suspect when one considers the time spent lining up in the cold waiting and the negative expected utility of possibly being trampled to death it is unlikely to be a worthwhile endeavor in terms of expected utility per hour...
I went to a Black Friday sale several years ago, mostly out of curiosity and because I thought it might be funny/entertaining. I also wanted to use it as an opportunity for brainstorming on ways to cash in on something like that in the years to come. Maybe selling hand warmers and hot drinks outside the stores? Although, it was so dreadful that I decided to never go back.
I've never been to one and am too terrified to even watch the videos (I like to pretend that I live in a world inhabited by rational people). My husband did watch it and was appalled. Personally, I think it is a genius marketing effort that taps into our animal brain. I'm in awe that anyone thought getting people up at an ungodly hour at the start of winter to deal with irritating people who could stampede you to death - could actually be effective in kicking of the biggest shopping season. Awe.
For several years now, I've stayed away from stores all day (and not bought a thing) in solidarity with other anti-consumer groups. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buy_Nothing_Day
