Black and Blue Friday

     It's a bit eerie in light of Target's new crazy Christmas shopping lady commercials to witness what the first official day of the season brought. You may have heard of the rather Grinchy woman who used pepper spray when Black Friday bargain hunters tried to cut in her line at a crowded Walmart store in Los Angeles. She attacked at 1:20 a.m. because she apparently feared the loss of opportunity to get an X-Box.

     This was the merry scene:

     God bless us every one. Fifteen people were injured in her wake. She left without her intended purchase, though one presumes little Timmy will still get his gift. Or not . . . but in the words of Merle Haggard, Mama tried.
     
     I have never been willing to do the Thanksgiving midnight grabfest thing. I have friends who bravely march into the darkness for deals, risking life and limb at the hands of armed Walmartians. Unless Walmart, Target, Best Buy or TJ Maxx start giving away complimentary Christian Louboutins for the first thousand shoppers, you will not see me participate. Even then, I would probably choose the safety of my couch and a leftover turkey sandwich.

    In related news:

     A Rome, N.Y., man was charged with disorderly conduct after a fight that broke out the moment Black Friday shopping began at midnight. Several shoppers at the electronics department at a Walmart store were pushed to the ground, and a number of fights broke out. Two shoppers were taken to a hospital for minor injuries.

     Police said they were investigating a possible shooting in the parking lot of Valley West Mall in West Des Moines, Iowa. Police got a call of shots fired shortly before 4 a.m., when the mall opened. 

     A 55-year-old shopper was shot and wounded during a robbery near a Walmart in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Tonia Robbins, 55, took a bullet in the foot after two men demanded her purse shortly after 1 a.m. ET Friday as she stood by the trunk of her car with friends.

     An explosive device was found at a break room at a Walmart in Cave Creek, Ariz., according to reports Friday. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said a suspicious package was found inside a refrigerator in the store break room on Thursday. The store was evacuated as a precaution while deputies investigated the package.

     A shopper was shot and critically injured during a robbery outside a Walmart in San Leandro, California early Friday. Police patrolling the parking lot found a victim suffering a gunshot wound and a possible suspect being detained by his/her angry family members. They were walking to their car with Christmas purchases and approached by thugs who demanded the merchandise.

     Gunfire erupted at a North Carolina mall as holiday shopping commenced. People were very cross at Cross Creek Mall in Fayetteville. No injuries were reported.

     Black [and Blue] Friday kicks off the holiday shopping frenzy, when merchants can make 25 to 40 percent of their annual revenue. It is expected that shoppers will spend nearly $500 billion during the 2011 shopping season, about 3 percent more than they did last year.

     "It's a good move to try to get shoppers to spend sooner, before they run out of money," says Burt Flickinger, III, president of retail consultancy Strategic Resource Group.

     Uh huh. Call me when you have those complimentary CL's or large Jay Strongwater pieces, Burt. Until then, I'll shop online in my jammies or in stores where the kinder, gentler people tend to gather during normal business hours.

Love from Delta.