# Black Friday..a black mark on human behaviour?



## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Saw some clips on TV of people in the US malls, fighting, punching, kicking etc to get at those discounted
bargains. One woman from Quebec, displayed her "war wound"...a bite mark on her arm by another woman
who wanted that X-Box badly enough to fight for it! Retailers must laugh at this type of human behaviour,
where the day before in the US, the shoppers all probably sat around the family table, bowed their heads and gave thanks for what they had.:rolleyes2:

In Canada, merchants who wanted to capitalize on the US shopping phenomena, advertised heavily with
big discounts, but very few people showed up in spite of the hoopla that Canadian businesses were
going to compete neck and neck with their US counterparts. Certainly the street action (lineups) and
door crashers were not there, except for the electronic big box stores.

Why is that? Is it because they are saving their money for the Boxing Day big sales?

*On another note:*

Justin Bieber staged a concert last night here in Ottawa on Black Friday. Tickets were sold out within the hour. Scalpers were offering tickets for up to $700 a ticket! Prior to the concert, local TV station went out to interview some teenage girls who were desparate to meet him after the concert, had actually paid $450 to meet him backstage for *10 minutes.*
One of the 14 year old girls with braces on her teeth mentioned.."well it's $45 a minute..but it's well worth it..giggle..giggle..giggle".


> A sold-out crowd of 16,800 was delirious with excitement.


No wonder he's rich..at $45 a minute, that's more than my dentist is making off me..and at least my dentist is not robbing my piggy bank!


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## Nemo2 (Mar 1, 2012)

The truly horrifying thing is that these people are now, or soon will be, eligible to vote.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

These people are easy prey for financial salespeople. They also would have failed The Marshmallow Test!


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## Toronto.gal (Jan 8, 2010)




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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

I actually see no problem with the teenager seeing the beiber for $450 backstage AS LONG AS SHE BOUGHT THE TICKET HERSELF. I would have and did the the equivalent as a teenage girl in my day, which I did for NKOTB. If meeting her idol means that much, and she was able to save off it, then I would say its no different than one saving for a car or a iPad, etc. this would align with her passing the marshmallow test. 

I wouldn't be losing faith in the future yet. Just like every generation before us, they complained about the new generation. Instead of complaining about everything that these kids, I always what is it that we are doing. I do not blame the kids, it's the parents. 

I also had to share, the other night did the experiment at home with our rather impulsive almost 4 year old, and I am proud :love-struck:to say she passed the marshmallow test which is one of the reason I had to respond to this thread, because I am just so darn proud, and she was the funniest little thing watching how she handled not eating it. She smelled it, licked it, rolled it around, then sang to it, and tried tell it stories, amount other things. I was actually a little disgusted to see she ate it still after the time. 

I did the same experiment with my older child now 7, when she was just 3, and she was and still was a disciplined child, and just sat there and waited patiently.

I do recommend that anyone with young kids do the experiment, but make sure you video it.


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## ddkay (Nov 20, 2010)

There is no shopping happening in Black Friday stores, it's just snatch and run to the register. "Does this fit? Who cares?! I can return it some other time!". These kind of limited quantity at unseen prices events should be banned from society and the retailers that break it should pay humongous fines, the behaviour it promotes (trampling, shoving, choking, and basically murder) is disgusting...


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

^ I totally have to disagree that these promotions should be banned. The problem is with the people doing these acts, not the retailers. It's time people start self regulated themselves, and stop blaming others for being tempted.

It's the same as gun s don't kill people. People do.

I do think there needs to be stricter consequences for those who do perform these stupid acts, but when was it the retailers job to monitor our behavior. They have a duty to make sure the environment safe, but to regulate against greed and stupidity is about controlling ourselves.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

kcowan said:


> These people are easy prey for financial salespeople. They also would have failed The Marshmallow Test!


Good one. I guess today, kids don't have to wait to save for anything. Each one practically gets a cell phone when first attending grade school..*for their safety of course.*
Kids expect to get more, and want more because of these expectations. Parents have to oblige.



> At a Walmart in Chantilly, Va.,a father at his first Black Friday shopping experience was a little overwhelming. He brought his son, Jack, 11, to help him score a 32" Emerson TV for Christmas.
> 
> *"It's a surprise*," says father, 47, covering Jack's ears. The two headed over to Walmart after cleaning up Thanksgiving dinner. They decided to buy the TV and an iPad 2.



The teenage brain is very hard to understand.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

ddkay said:


> There is no shopping happening in Black Friday stores, it's just snatch and run to the register. the behaviour it promotes (trampling, shoving, choking, and *basically murder)* is disgusting...


Walmart seems to have it's share of it too..



> A shooting outside a Tallahassee Walmart marred a Black Friday that otherwise got off to a roaring start with festive shoppers, crowded stores and robust online sales.
> The Tallahassee shooting left two people wounded. The injuries were not life threatening, police said.


I guess that was more excitement than most had "bargained for" in their hunt for bargains.:biggrin:


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## Toronto.gal (Jan 8, 2010)

carverman said:


> 1. kids don't have to wait to save for anything.
> 2. Parents have to oblige.
> 3. The teenage brain is very hard to understand.


1. Mine does/always did/never complained, because he didn't know any better, LOL.
2. Not this one. :rolleyes2:
3. At least the excuse is that they are developing brains, but it's the adult ones that are worse to comprehend for me. The human-mind & behaviour is puzzling and a gigantic mystery to me. 

Too bad that S is closer to a *s*pectacle than a *s*ale.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Toronto.gal said:


> 1. Mine does/always did/never complained, because he didn't know any better, LOL.


Then he's obviously missing out in today's society...so I guess, he's not getting a JB singing toothbrush from Santa then?:biggrin:
http://www.brushbuddies.com/jb-product-line-category.html

Now this is brainwashing if I ever saw it. Apparently while you brush, the JB tune gets imprinted on your brain..
"buy my songs".."attend my concerts'...subliminal advertising...and just like that 14 year teenybopper,
he will be hooked to pay $450 a ticket to attend JB concerts.
Now why did the CFL pay JB to appear in tomorrow's Grey Cup half time show..hmmmmm???
To get the teenyboppers "trained" to follow the CFL games in the future....there is a method to their madness...
somebody has to train the next generation..so the CFL uses all the tools at their disposal. 



> 3. At least the excuse is that they are developing brains, but it's the adult ones that are worse to comprehend for me. The human-mind & behaviour is puzzling and a gigantic mystery to me.


Some adult brains are teenage brains that didn't mature properly. Could be lack of proper nutrition or
home environment/upbringing that makes them behave erratically.


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

Toronto.gal said:


>


... guess the "Want" side of the brain has overtaken the "Need" side of the brain for these folks. :beaten:


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

Plugging Along said:


> ... *I do not blame the kids, it's the parents.*


 ... 100% in agreement.


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## My Own Advisor (Sep 24, 2012)

Beaver101 said:


> ... 100% in agreement.


 +10


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Beaver101 said:


> ... guess the "Want" side of the brain has overtaken the "Need" side of the brain for these folks. :beaten:





> SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Police say a Massachusetts man left his girlfriend's 2-year-old son in a car while he went shopping for Black Friday bargains, then went home with his new 51-inch flat screen television and left the toddler behind.


Duh! I rest my case.:rolleyes2:
Looks like he will be watching his 51 inch tv from the doghouse..or parking lot maybe?


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## bayview (Nov 6, 2011)

He could have gotten a better TV deal in January according to WSJ


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## Toronto.gal (Jan 8, 2010)

carverman said:


> 1. Then he's obviously missing out in today's society...so I guess, he's not getting a JB singing toothbrush from Santa then?
> 2. there is a method to their madness....


1. LOL! He's certainly not missing out on anything JB, but I guess he is missing out on Midnight or Hidden Fantasy by Britney Spears. Have you been to a perfume counter recently? Seems that every [young and not so young] actor/singer has his/her own fragance. :rolleyes2: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_celebrity_branded_fragrances

2. A very well orchestrated brain-washing system.


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## dogcom (May 23, 2009)

This is all part of the winter cycle we are in starting in Greece and coming soon to the US and Canada. It is all about me, take, take, take, now, now, now and so on. Eventually it will change back to helping the neighbor, doing right for the community, feeling blessed for what you have and so on.

I for one have no desire to wait or line up for anything and prefer to park far away then wait for the closest spot to the store.


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

As one retail analyst put it.........all these sales do is pull sales forward, and the next 2 weeks there will be a lull as people wait for another paycheque or pay down a little off their credit card so they can use it again.

One statistic I saw was that crowds were up, but people were only buying the "door crashers" with low margins, so retailers may be hurting themselves in the long run with all these giveaway sales.

In the auto industry, there were so many cash backs and discounts, they conditioned buyers to just wait for the sales.


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## Toronto.gal (Jan 8, 2010)

dogcom said:


> This is all part of the winter cycle we are in starting in Greece.....


Your mentioning Greece reminded me of the Golden Dawn, who opened an office in Montréal a couple of months ago.

Then of course, that is not the only party here who are using our tax dollars to distribute hate abroad.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/0...cused-of-being-racist-opens-canadian-chapter/

A bit off-topic, but not when talking about human behaviour.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

sags said:


> As one retail analyst put it.........all these sales do is pull sales forward,


Now we have Cyber Monday..more deep discounts on electronic items..some big box stores offer free shipping if purchased today.
Then it's Boxing day bonanzas, (Kwanza in the US)..it just doesn't end, until the reality of CC maxed out..hits everyone in January. 
Then the online stores will have to come up with yet another scheme to get people to buy.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Toronto.gal said:


> 1. LOL! He's certainly not missing out on anything JB, but I guess *he is missing out* on Midnight or Hidden Fantasy by Britney Spears. *Have you been to a perfume counter recently*? Seems that every [young and not so young] actor/singer has his/her own fragance. :rolleyes2:


No I don't frequent perfume counters anymore. :highly_amused:
Too many brands...and too confusing. I guess the 'bieber" must have his version of those "Axe" manly perfumes..that attracts hundreds of "teenyboppers" as soon as you splash it on.:biggrin:
Why would they pay $450 for 10 minutes to see him up close..he can't really sing.

BTW..heard that "the bieber" got booed at the Grey Cup game by sports fans that had come to watch the game
and were not into his crotch grabbing kind of theatrics...

Nice to see that "ole" Gordon Lightfoot was appreciated for his music...he's a Canadian Icon, who has
been around since the early 60s..(I'm one of his fans, btw)..and although time will eventually claim him (he's 74), he won't burn out and fade like the younger punk rockers. His voice is a lot thinner now than back in the 60s/70s when he was cranking out one hit after another, but still..you have to pay homage to those performers that have some "real" talent.


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## thundershock (Nov 22, 2012)

ddkay said:


> There is no shopping happening in Black Friday stores, it's just snatch and run to the register. "Does this fit? Who cares?! I can return it some other time!". These kind of limited quantity at unseen prices events should be banned from society and the retailers that break it should pay humongous fines, the behaviour it promotes (trampling, shoving, choking, and basically murder) is disgusting...


^ this

Use to work at a big box retailer store, you'd be amazed at the customer service line for returns. It's as long as the line that waited outside the store on boxing day. It's not shopping, it's seeing how many things you can buy just because it's "cheap" and whether or not you actually need it. So sad lmao


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

thundershock said:


> ^ this
> 
> It's not shopping, it's seeing how many things you can buy just because it's "cheap" and whether or not you actually need it. So sad lmao


It's "feeding frenzy" or buffalo herd stampede type of mentality, ordinary people can get themselves into that state when others are doing the same thing.
In a way it's similar to these football game or rock concert panic situations, where people are trampled to death when the crowd panics due to some catastropic event, and transforms them into a state of "herd mentality",
kicking, shoving, punching and just steam rolling over people that fall down.nobody stops to help. 

Ever hear about the myth that lemmings (those lovable furry rodents) follow each other over the edge of the cliff to their death?


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## Toronto.gal (Jan 8, 2010)

carverman said:


> 1. No I don't frequent perfume counters anymore. :highly_amused:
> 2. BTW..heard that "the bieber" got booed at the Grey Cup game.....


1. I'm glad I amused you. :chuncky: The fact is, however, that you wouldn't even need to, as you would pass by it while buying shaving cream at the drugstore, no? 

Since I was a teenager, I have been loyal to pretty much one name, Estée Lauder, but the youth of today are so capricious, fickle & even unstable [like the stock market these days]. :biggrin:

2. You heard right. Did you see what he wore when PM Harper presented him with a Diamond Jubilee Medal? :rolleyes2:


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Toronto.gal said:


> as you would pass by it while buying shaving cream at the drugstore, no?


No, I buy mine at the discount food basic store..I'm frugal that way! :biggrin:



> 2. You heard right. Did you see what he wore when PM Harper presented him with a Diamond Jubilee Medal? :rolleyes2:


"Biebe" is starting to suffer from dilusional fantasies..his teenage brain still isn't capable of handling all that attention from his adoring teenyboppers. While he may have some good marketing to push his rather mundane lyrics/musical songs..."baby baby"...etc..he is capitalizing on his target audience, who have money to spend. IMO, he doesn't have the talent of say.. Michael Jackson, and his current image he is trying to portray of baseball cap on backwards/overalls with on strap hanging off..at the medal presentation, just goes to show that he needs his mother to dress him properly.

What's with the crotch grabbing at his shows? Underwear too tight or some kind of itch? 
Or is he trying to pretend he is Michael Jackson? very silly, IMO.


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

carverman said:


> ...
> "Biebe" is starting to suffer from dilusional fantasies..his teenage brain still isn't capable of handling all that attention from his adoring teenyboppers. While he may have some good marketing to push his rather mundane lyrics/musical songs..."baby baby"...etc..he is capitalizing on his target audience, who have money to spend. IMO, he doesn't have the talent of say.. Michael Jackson, and his current image he is trying to portray of baseball cap on backwards/overalls with on strap hanging off..at the medal presentation, just goes to show that he needs his mother to dress him properly.
> 
> What's with the crotch grabbing at his shows? Underwear too tight or some kind of itch?
> Or is he trying to pretend he is Michael Jackson? very silly, IMO.


 ... it's show-biz. If PM Harper wasn't bothered by the tatty-image on presentation, why should we? It's the "new GEN" thing, to be cool. Blame it on the parent(s).


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## Toronto.gal (Jan 8, 2010)

Beaver101 said:


> 1. it's show-biz.
> 2. If PM Harper wasn't bothered by the tatty-image on presentation, why should we?
> 3. It's the "new GEN" thing, to be cool. Blame it on the parent(s).


1. The Diamond Jubilee Medal ceremony is no concert; it's an event for which you dress up, which he seems to know how to do very well.









2. I'm speaking for myself, not about how others feel, be it PM Harper, carverman or you! :tongue-new:

3. Nothing cool about not showing respect when you are being honored, and you can't blame everything on the parents either; he's legally an adult now. Btw, his mother is too busy writing books at the moment and I suppose a perfume will be next.


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

I'm talking about Carver's


> What's with the crotch grabbing at his shows? Underwear too tight or some kind of itch? Or is he trying to pretend he is Michael Jackson? very silly, IMO.


 as part of the "show-biz", not the Diamond Jubilee Medal to honour (? for what? ) him. Wrt to the rag he was wearing, even PM Harper came to his defense so obviously PM Harper didn't mind it at at all. As for myself, I couldn't care less he was in bibs since I don't relate to his genre of hip-hop or bop-*** or whatever. Still blame the parent(s) for being brought up or taught (or not) the way he was even though he is of legal age now.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Beaver101 said:


> *I'm talking about Carver's as part of the "show-biz*", not the Diamond Jubilee Medal to honour (? for what? ) him.


Beav, I'm just having some fun. I really don't care if he's wearing raggedy overalls and grabbing his crotch. 
Maybe he was in the process of fixing his tricycle when he got interrupted to appear for the medal ceremony.
I guess, if I had his kind of money, I wouldn't care what I wear either to any social function...and if grabbing yer crotch on stage makes the fans excited..so be it! :biggrin:


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

Yes, I know Carver you were just teasing this talentedless youngstger and having fun (as always). :highly_amused:I was just clarifying my comments to T.Gal only - don't worry no bricks throwing here - we're still good since T.Gal has a big heart. each:


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