If we're aren't grabbing for each other's necks at the dinner table on Thanksgiving, it sure is tempting to do so at other people in after-Thanksgiving shopping.
It happens every year, and it's still just as entertaining. The mad deals on Black Friday all the way up through Cyber Monday can literally drive people mad.
It's the bargain hunters though that are the most dangerous because they will go Cro-Magnon hunter-gatherer mode on anyone who tries to get what's theirs. They'll totally forget their manners.
This woman, for instance, just straight up stole a box of goodies from a little girl without any hesitation. She finds herself in a bit of trouble, however, with what looks to be the child's mother who tries to apprehend the woman and take back what was her daughter's. (UPDATE: This particular video may be a hoax, but is still nonetheless plausible given the millions of shoppers out there taking similar videos around the country.)
In Kentucky, this video was taken of a brawl breaking out between two men at a mall and the crowd around them even seems to be egging them on. It's not clear what they were fighting for exactly — a TV, a phone, a place in line — but fists got thrown, bystanders got toppled, and the police finally got called in to end it.
Walmart is the epicenter of Black Friday madness. To the brick-and-mortar store's benefit, it did post many of its post-holiday deals online beginning as early as 3AM on Thanksgiving morning. Maybe all the good stuff sold out online because brave shoppers still trooped to the stores to get some goods.
This scene at an El Paso Walmart shows a horde of people reaching and jumping over each other to get at a pile of TVs. As the camera zooms out, people in the foreground can be seen pulling and pushing at each other to clear a path for themselves towards the TV. Near the end of the video, in full view, are two woman grappling at each other for a stray TV that happened to make it their way. Of course, it ends when the cops come in.
It's the holidays. To be more exact, it's Thanksgiving — a time for being thankful for what we have and not angry for what we don't have. So, let's remember: people first, stuff second.
Photo: Răzvan Băltărețu | Flickr
