Black Friday - A Black Mark on Humanity

 Now for a brief intermission from "43 days of Blog Love" -- sort of...

Black Friday has a  very special place in my heart and it saddens me to what it has become. Many years back I saw my "wife to be" for the first time on this most infamous of shopping days. I worked security in a retail store. This store had the highest arrest record for theft in the area. We averaged over three hundred shoplifting arrests a year.

That year there were some incidents of someone coming into area stores in a wheelchair, loading up with goods, then trying to sneak out with them in their lap. When confronted the person got up and ran away, leaving the chair and products, so we were watching for the same M.O. at our store.

Anyway, this girl comes into the store in a wheelchair and my partner and I instantly key in on her. She is cute and I watch her awhile but quickly come to the conclusion that she is not our suspect. (She is too cute. Actually she is there to shop and not doing any of the many things that shoplifters do and the chair she is in is worth more than my car.)  Later, ironically, we meet, date and get married we discuss Black Friday and that I remember seeing her.  She found it funny because it was the ONLY Black Friday that she had ever shopped.  That is why it has a special place in my heart. It was the first time that I saw the love of my life.

 
So now I sit here on this beautiful morning enjoying my cup of coffee with my grandson and son playing Legos on the Xbox. I am perusing FB and seeing videos of Black Friday. Quite entertaining for a moment until I start thinking about the avarice that I am witnessing. People are breaking barriers and doors to get in. They are pushing over people that are in front of them and trampling over others to quickly grab whatever they can. Fights, brawls and even riots break out.

Some of the videos are from Black Fridays past, some are from late last night and this morning. Luckily I never saw humanity in this state personally. I am ashamed. I am embarrassed. I am full of pity. Then on one of the videos I hear a customer say "This happened because YOU don't have enough security." Wait a minute... A "shopper" is blaming the store for her behavior?

If the greed of the shopper to get a "deal" (which we know is not all that great if you do research) was not there, then people getting hurt and even killed in the name of  Jesus' Birthday would not make "Black Friday" a black mark on humanity. To show the love you have for another what are you willing to do? The question that I have is what would that loved one say about your actions?

Now I think that what the retail industry has done to the beginning, middle and end of the Holiday shopping season is bad. They are reacting to the demands of the shoppers. The shoppers are reacting to the actions of the stores. Greed of the shopper feeds the greed of the merchant, and the greed of the merchant feeds the greed of the shopper.. What came first, the avarice or the avarice?

I am willing to bet that for whatever religion or belief system that you follow, the behavior of most on Black Friday is not only not condoned but forbidden. Practice what you would teach your children. Behave in a way that someone you look up to would approve of. I choose to Behave.

Don't stand around saying "There are too many people here. They should stay home so I can get my shopping done." Refuse to shop on the worst shopping day of the year.

Thank you for reading my rant. I look forward to reading your perspective on 'Black Friday'; please do share in the Comments below.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programing:

A recap of our "Blog Love" to this point (we're at 10 so far...)
Day 1:    Family on Bikes
Day 2:    Boyinks4Adventure
Day 3:    The Edventure Project
Day 4:    The Scholl Bus
Day 5:    Sun Dragon Adventures
Day 6:    A Kilt and A Camera
Day 7:    Gluten Free Cooking School
Day 8:    Adventure Us 2
Day 9:    Family Trek
Day 10:  1 Dad, 1 Kid, 1 Crazy Adventure

We shall continue with more "Blog Love" posts tomorrow...

Until then... Enjoy the journey...

Rich