The traditional start of Christmas shopping season was again tainted with casualties. In two separate incidents, a total of three people were killed while in the midst of this traditional bargain 'holiday' known as Black Friday. In New York, man working for discount retailer Wal-Mart was killed on Friday in a stampede by frenzied bargain-hunting shoppers who broke down doors and surged into the Long Island, New York branch. The 34 year old employee was reportedly knocked down as shoppers, some waiting as early as midnight, rushed into the store to get the big bargains amid a looming economic crisis that threatens to dampen the holidays. Other injuries were likewise reported,
with one pregnant woman rumored to have miscarried as a result of the mad rush. This was, however, later denied by the police.

In another incident across the country, Black Friday was scarred by two shooting deaths in the most unlikely of places. Two men pulled guns and shot each other to death in a crowded Toys R Us store the after women they were with got into a bloody brawl for unknown reasons. No one else was reportedly hurt. Scared witnesses recounted how the incident happened in the crowded toy store filled with parents and kids shopping for bargains on Black Friday. The trouble started when two women, each with a man and kids, started fighting near the check out counter. They were just shouting at first until one punched the other and bloodied her nose. The other one retaliated and this was when the men pulled out their guns. Both men had guns but one was quicker to the draw, chasing his target round the store until he was cornered. Shots rang out with both men shooting at each other. Both were killed.

It was not known what happened to the women who started the fight because scared shoppers ran out of the store chase started. Many children were seen crying, traumatized by the incident, prompting many to ask why guns were brought to a family-friendly store like Toys R Us. Although there are reports that the fight and subsequent killings were gang-related, the police has yet to confirm this angle.

Black Friday has had its share of reported injuries in the past as shoppers are often in a frenzy to be the first grab (and run) with the biggest bargains on offer. Often, these hot items are only a limited few so the rush is understandable. Coined by the Philadelphia police to refer to the massive traffic jams associated with the bargain shopping rush in the 60's (an implicit comparison to the extremely stressful and chaotic experience of Black Tuesday), the term "Black Friday" has since been used to mark the day after Thanksgiving when the mad Christmas shopping dash starts. More recently, merchants and the media have used it instead to refer to the beginning of the period in which retailers are in the black (i.e., turning a profit).

Injuries during past Black Fridays were common, a result of the shoving, running, pushing, pulling and all the chaos associated with the shopping frenzy. However, death is very rare and the shootings this year are the first Black Friday shopping homicides I have heard of. While it is understandable that today's shoppers were more hungry for bargains because of the current economic crisis, there should be no excuse to act irresponsibly. And, if such actions worsen in the years to come, Black Friday will take on a new meaning.

Wal-Mart Black Friday Stampede (video)

Toys R Us Black Friday Shooting (video)

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