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Okay. So you all know about my dislike of "Black Friday" hype from my previously posted complaints, from both my own personal experience as well as from madness in the headlines.
But I just can't let it go. This year, I must register my distaste over a particular persisting word associated with the Black Friday madness:
"Doorbuster."
I think this word first started being put in the Thanksgiving ad fliers a couple years ago. (Naturally, now it's been expanded well beyond the actual Black Friday date, and onto any day where there are Great Deals for a Limited Time Only.) The retailers know they have a captive audience, know that this madness will feed upon itself, and they seem only too happy to oblige: People will line up and be waiting to break down the doors — figuratively speaking, of course (*) — in order to get these great deals.
* Or (see below) literally.
I learn that the local patrons in my hometown began setting up their tents today at noon. NOON. I guess this means they would rather be spending all of Thanksgiving Day in line for a Great Deal than with their families eating a turkey dinner.
But never mind that. My original point here: the word "doorbuster" as a hype generator. Does it not seem like it's in poor taste to be touting and feeding that mentality when considering last year someone literally got trampled to death in an absurd incident? Said incident claimed the life of a store employee when patrons "physically broke down the doors, knocking (the worker) to the ground," after which he was trampled. To death. After a literal doorbuster.
Given that kind of sick incident, one would think retailers would want to stay as far away from a term like "doorbuster" as possible. One would be wrong.
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12 comments on this post
Nolan
Coming from Canada, I've never heard of Black Friday, as we celebrate this harvest 'holiday' around the, you know, harvest. =P But I've seen lots like it. And loudmouth 'The Brick" Guy (so tempted to rhyme with brick) throws the word doorbuster, and doorcrasher around. I never bothered to find out what it meant. It was always a commercial curiosity of mine. I'd always wondered if they'd explain it. So thank you very much Jammer, for taking away my last reason to watch TV Ads. No seriously, thank you!
Brendan
We have a Black Friday in Canada but it's a day of refraining from shopping... quite the opposite
Wade
And now it turns out not all of them are true. Turns out Best Buy is renegging on a deal for a Samsung refridgerator that it advertised for Black Friday. Like they didn't proof read their ad?
Jason
Yup Jammer. At 4pm yesterday I was driving my wife to work and they were lined up with tents outside best buy. These maniacs trampled a Wal-Mart worker to death last year, so why would I want to even be involved in that. Not worth it.
GregT
Um, I believe our Canadian equivalent to "Black Friday" would be "Boxing Day", the day after Christmas. We don't refrain from shopping. (Though things are never as bad as I hear down south; perhaps partly because deals tend to extend from Dec 26 to the end of the month.)
jackbauer
Yup the Canadian eqivalent is Boxing Day. Same meyhem, different day.
Eduardo
I'd rather spend more money on a quiet and pleasant shopping trip than go through a boxing match to snatch an item. I simply do not understand this predatorial mentality.
That's a reason as to why I also stopped watching TV ads. I can't stand their intent and visual language anymore. Capitalism at its worst incarnation.
grumpy_otter
I am pleased that readers of Jammer's blog seem to be brighter than the average consumer--but I guess I am not really surprised. (Although, when I saw the title of your post, I had assumed it was going to be about the party crashers in D.C.!)
I stay home on Black Friday. I find it a wonderful opportunity to get caught up on the housecleaning and hang with my kids.
Sad that such a nice secular family holiday has spawned such a travesty.
Matt L
I shop online. Same good deals...no insane lines, waking up at 4am, or being trampled to death (although I hear from very reliable sources that being trampled is a very calming way to go, kind of like getting a massage all over your body with thousands of muddy shoes until your body is covered in seeping wounds and broken bones).
O-Perez
Or why not consider what the workers do at a Best Buy store on Black Friday? Such as give tickets out to shoppers, in an effort to minimize the insanity.
Stef
"in line for a Great Deal"
Are the deals actually that great?
here in the UK there is always the massive stampede for the "New Year Sales" which seem to start at 12:01 am on December 26th. But I never actually see and decent prices for stuff. It is just people getting caught up in the whole thing.
Elliot Wilson
Well, this has convinced me. The whole world has gone crazy. I swear, during Black Friday someone should declare martial law. ANYONE steps out line you are SHOT. TO DEATH. OR raped or beaten or castrated or defrocked or any other vile act these greedy assholes deserve.
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