Economy
In Consumer HQ, Heaven becomes Hell
The biggest shopping day of the year in the United States has been marred by more reports of violence than usual, including gun fights in stores and car parks.
Massive crowds were waiting for the biggest discount chains to open after Thanksgiving in a national shopping frenzy known as Black Friday.
At midnight you might think Americans would have been too full of Turkey to shop, but you would be wrong.
In a sign of desperate economic times, some of America’s biggest retailers opened up with holiday season deals even earlier this year.
“I’m a lean, mean, black Friday machine!” said one punter.
Black Friday bargain hunting in America is not for the faint-hearted.
For many it is almost a military operation – carefully select your target (often a flat screen television), pick your entry point, and stake a claim with your tent, sleeping bag and camp stove.
“If I get it here for $199 it’s worth waiting 20 hours, it doesn’t bother me,” one person said.
“Because I’m off from work – why not sit here and wait for the best deal?”
Getting in the door requires plenty of elbow work to claim your trophy.
The electronics aisle is the most dangerous place to stand in the store – in a Walmart in Los Angeles, a woman used pepper spray on competing shoppers to claim a game console.
In Alabama, police used a stun gun to subdue a 22-year-old man, and there were several shootings reported around the country, including Fayetteville, North Carolina, where there was a gunfight in the aisles.
Bargain hunters take to US sales Photo: Bargain hunters shop for discounted merchandise at Macy’s in New York. (Michael Nagle)
Consumption has long underpinned the US economy, but with high unemployment, retailers are expecting about half the growth in sales of last year.
“They believe there’s a limited amount of money in everyone’s wallet and if they can tap that money sooner, then they’re going to win sooner; they’re going to win over somebody else who’s not tapping it soon enough,” said retail guru Dan de Grandpre.