Black Friday

Last night Mike and I did something we never do.  We decided to risk going out on Thanksgiving evening to see if we could get a gift for one of our kids that was advertised at Walmart.  I was adamantly against going, especially on Thanksgiving, for several reasons.  The first had to do with the fact that we would be reinforcing Walmart's (and so many other retailors') idea that as consumers we HAVE to have that special something right away and that we were willing to leave our family and come to the store to get that gift.  I think it's sad that as a society we can't put a hold on our wants for just one day and allow the workers of all the retail shops to be at home with their own families.  The second reason had to do with the fact that we just don't do Black Friday (or Thursday as the case may be) shopping... I hate the crowds.  I hate the chaos.  I hate everything to do with the experience. 

However, because we have a very limited income and thus limited amount of money to spend on Christmas presents for our 10 children, we decided that this once we would brave the crowds and try to get this one gift.  It was afterall, only offered for a limited time, in a limited amount, and it was nearly half price.  There was no way we could afford this item at regular price and it's something we really want to give one of our children.  It isn't just a "thing" but it's an item that can also provide skills that can be used later on.  (I have to speak without saying the item because my children have this website bookmarked and may read this!)

So, we left out and went to Walmart.  The parking lot was completely full.  We ended up parking at a bank across the lot and had to walk the entire length of the parking lot to even get in the store.  We were able to get a buggy and decided to see if we could find where this item might be.  The store was insane.  It was packed with so many people wanting to get great deals too.  They were milling about, most standing near whatever item they most wanted, waiting for the employees to take the plastic wrap off the bundles of goods at 8 pm.  They were anxious and getting loud. 

We found the item we wanted and stood in the aisle next to it.  Mike ended up being right, there weren't may people there for the item we wanted and truly we didn't need to face that crowd to get one.  We didn't know that ahead of time though so it was still good that we went.

At around 7:45 pm the employees began trying to unwrap the plastic off the bundles, telling the people not to put anything in their buggies until 8pm.  People were starting to get loud, starting to push foward so they could get as near as possible to the flats of goods that they were interested in.  In a mere 5 minutes pandemonium broke out.  One person decided that they would indeed get a hold of some of those items and began putting them in their buggy.  That fired up all the others who also began grabbing and snatching and throwing as many items in their buggies as possible.  We were thankful to be in a side aisle, safe from the craziness, but we could still see it clearly.

As the people became even more frenzied we were shocked to see how people were grabbing far more than they ever could need of the items in the middle of the main aisles on the pallets.  They were so greedy and aggressive.  I couldn't believe my eyes.  We don't typically ever go to shop on days like this so this was a real eye-opener for me. 

 

 

I stood back so that I couldn't see anymore.  I couldn't watch all those people, arms full with things they probably didn't truly need, treating others so terribly for another second.  Before I knew it I felt tears sliding down my cheeks.  I wiped them away quickly, hoping no one would see, feeling silly of my reaction to these people I didn't even know.  Mike came over to me and asked me what was wrong.  I could barely speak the words.  Finally, still crying and voice wavering, I said, "I just don't understand.  All this greed.  All this hate.  All this horrible behavior over things.  Why do people act this way?"  It broke my heart to see how inhumane these people were behaving.  I just couldn't wrap my head or my heart around it.

 

We waited for 8pm to come and then put the item in our buggy that we were there for.  There weren't many people who came for this practical gift so there wasn't anyone fighting over what we wanted.   Had there been we would have walked away.  It wasn't that important that we have the item even though it was an incredible price and something that our child has been asking to have for years.  After we got out of our aisle we weaved our way through the crowds.  We waited in line for what seemed like years.  Upon checking out I could feel my blood pressure returning to normal and my heart feeling a little better.  Mike and I agreed that we couldn't do that again. 

 

We see news stories about crime being on the rise, about people going hungry, people dying, war throughout the world and problems within our societies regarding race, religion, and gender.  I hear so many people complain about how horrible the world is and how something needs to give.  I wonder how many of those people were out on Black Thursday or Friday fighting for material goods to save $5 here or $10 there.  We need to wake up and see that the problems with the world start at a very basic level... how we live and treat one another in our own little worlds.  When we fail to respect and see the importance of each and every person, when we belittle and treat others poorly, when we say rude and ugly things to each other it's no wonder that our world at large is in the shape it is.  If we were to make the changes in ourselves and vow to treat others the way we want to be treated (and actually follow through with it!) we would see the beginnings of change.  If we don't make these small changes how can we expect to see big changes? 

 

I cried tears for all of us last night.  I saw the worst behavior in people and it scared me.  It made me sad for all of us.  Here we should be treating each other the way Christ treated everyone and yet I saw people fighting over material things.  The greed and comsumerism was overwhelming.  How have we gotten to a point where things are more important than people or more important than our self-respect?  I pray that I can instill in my children manners, respect, and the belief that there is nothing material out there that is more important that the people that we come in contact with or that are close to us.  Material things fade away... they don't last forever.  The way we treat others, the way we love them and show them respect, that lasts forever. 

I can see why it is called Black Friday.  It's not because stores often find themselves finally in the "black" but because it often brings many good people to a dark side that they should never venture to.  It brings out the black in people's hearts and in their behavior.  It is so sad for all of us.  I pray that one day our society wakes up and sees what kind of damage it is enduring by allowing consumerism and greed to rule our lives.  When we finally see this we can finally begin making changes to reverse those effects on our society.