So says a survey conducted by the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs. Does that fact make the Wal-Mart worker’s death at the feet of shoppers last Friday any more tragic? Either way it was a senseless death. But there seems to be something qualitatively different between a parent looking to capitalize on low prices so they can see a child’s eyes light up on Christmas morning and someone just looking to pimp-out their living room with a bigger flat-screen TV.
As always, there’s plenty of finger-wagging after the fact. David Carr takes a look at the media’s tendency to blame “a broken culture of consumerism in which people would do anything for a bargain” merely a few days after encouraging that very behavior—even going so far as to publish guides for maximizing Black Friday shopping.
In the wake of death by shopper, Newsday, the daily paper on Long Island, wrung its hands in the opinion page blog: “Was this deadly rush to lower prices an illustration of the current economic malaise (people mobbing Wal-Mart because they fear they can’t afford higher prices elsewhere) or just proof that even a recession can’t suppress stuff-lust?” Then it added, rather unfortunately, “This awful death is another Joey Buttafuoco-like stain on the too-often sordid image of our island.”
But on the run-up, Newsday offered a “Black Friday blueprint,” with store openings listed so shoppers could plot strategy, including noting that at 5 a.m., the Green Acres Wal-Mart would open and customers could expect to buy a 42-inch LCD television for $598. Many continued to pursue that particular bargain even as Mr. Damour lay dying.
Media and retail outfits are economic peas in a pod. Part of the reason that the Thanksgiving newspaper and local morning television show are stuffed with soft features about shopping frenzies is that they are stuffed in return with ads from retailers. Yes, Black Friday is a big day for retailers — stores did as much as 13 percent of their holiday business this last weekend — but it is also a huge day for newspapers and television.
I’m not placing the blame on anyone in particular, but I have more thoughts on how our culture encourages this behavior over at Ablogistan. When people start losing their lives so others can save a few bucks on gifts—or worse, personal wants—I think it’s worth stepping back for a little sober reflection on what’s really important.