Gun violence has become a crisis in the U.S. as of late with a growing number of incidences targeting large crowds of Americans.
This week, the large shopping crowds known for their overwhelming size will begin cropping up at malls throughout the country beginning on Black Friday.
CNN reported that 307.67 million Americans flocked to retail stores for Black Friday and spent $59.1 billion last year alone.
Following Black Friday 2012, the website Heavy.com chronicled the top ten worst crimes and misdemeanors that took place that day. Of the ten incidents on the list, two involved gun violence or the threat of gun violence.
According to the article:
“A man and woman were shot in broad daylight in front of a Walmart in Tallahassee, FL, as a result of a dispute over a parking space. Fortunately, their injuries were not life threatening.”
“A potential shopper waiting in line at a San Antonio, TX, Sears confronted another shopper when he allegedly cut in line. Shopper 1 confronted Shopper 2 about his perceived line cutting, which Shopper 2 responded to with mocking and a punch to the face of Shopper 1. Shopper 1 then pulled out a gun and everyone scattered. Shopper 1 was not arrested because he had a permit to carry the gun.”
ABC News reported last year that a man in Myrtle Beach, SC, held up a woman at gunpoint as she exited her car to go into a Best Buy store.
Obviously, such reactions are way extreme and quite terrifying how quickly they can escalate. In a country where gun violence has soared to new highs in the past year, approaching Black Friday 2013 with such a track record makes many Americans nervous about their safety during their holiday shopping excursions.
In a 2011 Black Friday opinion piece, Time magazine’s Adam Cohen made suggestions to improve safety during Black Friday sales:
“Stores could employ more security staff, who could shepherd customers into well-organized lines. They could give out numbers and wait on customers in order, removing the incentive to shove (and pepper spray) the competition. They could even—imagine it—have enough sales items (or rain checks) on hand for anyone who wanted one.”
Cohen commented on what remains the worst Black Friday-related violence to date—the 2008 death of Wal-Mart employee Jdimyrai Damour, 34, who was trampled to death by shoppers in Valley Stream, Long Island, NY.
“The government should get tougher about imposing safety rules — after the death in Valley Stream in 2008, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration hit Wal-Mart with a fine of just $7,000, hardly an amount calculated to send a strong message to one of the world’s biggest companies,” Cohen wrote. “But there has not been much clamoring for it. The media coverage of this year’s Black Friday violence was more bemused than truly outraged.”
Millennials, who are commonly holders of retail jobs, experience firsthand the hostility and aggression that comes along with Black Friday.
Maria Nelson, 20, lives in Los Angeles, CA, has worked in retail for the past six years.
“Last year I worked at the Gap on Black Friday,” Nelson said. “The company re-branded the day ‘Bright Friday,’ to boost morale, as attendance was required. It was extremely exhausting and strenuous. One woman was so angry that I told her the white, fur-trimmed boots she wanted were forty percent off, rather than the actual thirty percent, she reported me to my supervisor and, red in the face, demanded I be written up. At that point, the manager was going to give her the discount for being so upset, but the lady wanted vengeance.”
This year, Nelson said her store is open Thanksgiving Day and will be open for more than 14 hours on Black Friday.
“I can only hope for no stampedes,” Nelson said. “Seriously.”