1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:04,800 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the all new Toyota Corolla. Welcome 2 00:00:04,840 --> 00:00:14,360 Speaker 1: to Stuff you Should Know from house Stuff Works dot com. Hey, 3 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:16,880 Speaker 1: and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh Clark, and with 4 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:20,040 Speaker 1: me is always this Charles W. Chuck Bryant. Jerry's over there, 5 00:00:21,239 --> 00:00:23,480 Speaker 1: and that makes this stuff you should have. So you 6 00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:26,200 Speaker 1: just checked to make sure Jerry was there. She's very quiet. 7 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:29,360 Speaker 1: You literally turned her head and body right, Yep, she's there. 8 00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:32,080 Speaker 1: I did the big foot thing like I had to 9 00:00:32,120 --> 00:00:35,159 Speaker 1: turn my whole the whole side of my body to 10 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:37,320 Speaker 1: look over my shoulder. That's how you know that was 11 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:40,240 Speaker 1: real footage. Well, typically when you know Jerry's here, because 12 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:43,840 Speaker 1: you can just smell like miso soup or something emanating 13 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:47,600 Speaker 1: from our right side or my right side, you're right side, 14 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:50,400 Speaker 1: but it's not emanating from you. It's coming from Jerry. Yeah, 15 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:54,480 Speaker 1: she stinks like mi so, which is actually a very 16 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:59,680 Speaker 1: pleasant smell, salty and new mommy. That's right, uh so, Chuck. Yes, 17 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:05,160 Speaker 1: have you ever been to a Black Friday sale? No? No, 18 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:09,679 Speaker 1: And I want to say, h no. Oh yeah, well, 19 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:12,319 Speaker 1: I mean that's not for me. That's a decent qualifier though, 20 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:15,240 Speaker 1: because it's it's not like an average sale, and like, 21 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:18,959 Speaker 1: if you don't go to a Black Friday sale, uh, 22 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:22,560 Speaker 1: it's the pretty good reason why is because you're scared. 23 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:25,080 Speaker 1: Well yeah, and I think this is one of those 24 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:28,840 Speaker 1: very divisive topic. You're probably either really into going or 25 00:01:29,240 --> 00:01:30,959 Speaker 1: it's the last thing on earth you would rather do. 26 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:33,000 Speaker 1: I don't know a lot of people are like, maybe 27 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:35,440 Speaker 1: I'll go check out a doorbuster at three am. I 28 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 1: think there are people who who do have that kind 29 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:41,840 Speaker 1: of that idea, but maybe not at three am. Sure, 30 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:46,880 Speaker 1: there's it's almost like a multifaceted creature like it is 31 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:49,800 Speaker 1: for some people, like just in the middle of a 32 00:01:49,840 --> 00:01:53,000 Speaker 1: normal shopping day on the Friday after Thanksgiving, they'll go 33 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:54,880 Speaker 1: to a store and it's fine and there's some sales 34 00:01:54,960 --> 00:01:58,280 Speaker 1: or whatever. But then you know, hours earlier, these hardcore 35 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:00,800 Speaker 1: people you know who would bay in the blood or 36 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:05,600 Speaker 1: their fellow shoppers well sadly, yeah, um had had already 37 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:08,520 Speaker 1: come through and gotten all the best deals. Yeah. But 38 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:10,400 Speaker 1: and then there's those of us like us who are 39 00:02:10,440 --> 00:02:13,160 Speaker 1: just like going out. It is literally and I'm not 40 00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:15,560 Speaker 1: overstating this because people always say literally when they mean 41 00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:18,680 Speaker 1: figurati figuratively, but is literally one of the last things 42 00:02:18,720 --> 00:02:21,079 Speaker 1: I would ever ever do in my life. I can't 43 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:22,560 Speaker 1: think of many. I'd rather go to the d m 44 00:02:22,639 --> 00:02:25,840 Speaker 1: V than go to a doorbuster the d m V 45 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:30,480 Speaker 1: in between North Korea and South Korea. No, no, no, no, 46 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:34,000 Speaker 1: that's the d m Z. Right, Okay, I always get 47 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:36,600 Speaker 1: this too confused. Now, I'd rather go take the last 48 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:39,440 Speaker 1: ticket from a the d m V and have to 49 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:41,720 Speaker 1: wait all day than go to a doorbuster sale. Yeah. No, 50 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:43,840 Speaker 1: I don't blame you, all right, So that's what we'll 51 00:02:43,880 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 1: get to. More hate spewing about this layer. But right, 52 00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:50,040 Speaker 1: and I should state my opinion. I feel like, if 53 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:52,799 Speaker 1: this is your thing, that's awesome. Well true, true, I'm 54 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:56,799 Speaker 1: not like cast dispurgence on people who disparaging remarks. Is 55 00:02:56,880 --> 00:02:59,640 Speaker 1: dispurgence the word? No it is now though you're like 56 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:03,800 Speaker 1: your like an American dictionary the New Chucky. We should 57 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:06,480 Speaker 1: make that up. I like it. Yeah, you could have 58 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:10,600 Speaker 1: like five or six words already. Um. Yeah, agreed. I'm 59 00:03:10,639 --> 00:03:13,040 Speaker 1: not saying like poopooing people who do it. If you're 60 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:15,040 Speaker 1: into it, great, as long as you conduct yourself in 61 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:17,600 Speaker 1: a reasonable manner and you don't turn into a monster 62 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:20,360 Speaker 1: like others do. Right, And but there is, Like there 63 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:23,040 Speaker 1: are obvious criticisms of the day too, which we'll get into, 64 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:26,760 Speaker 1: but I think, first, Chuck, we should explain what the 65 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:30,040 Speaker 1: as you would say, h we're talking about to the 66 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:32,080 Speaker 1: people who listen to this podcast and don't live in 67 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:34,560 Speaker 1: the United States, because Black Friday is pretty much a 68 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:38,720 Speaker 1: uniquely American experience. It is I think most people probably know, 69 00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:42,720 Speaker 1: but just very quickly. It is the day after Thanksgiving 70 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:45,520 Speaker 1: now in the United States is known as Black Friday. 71 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:47,840 Speaker 1: And we'll get into the pretty interesting history of it. 72 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:50,080 Speaker 1: But um, it's the biggest shopping day of the year, 73 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:53,000 Speaker 1: and there are all these crazy specials that they run, 74 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:55,480 Speaker 1: and we'll get into that as well, but quite simply, 75 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:57,520 Speaker 1: it is the busiest shopping day of the year, day 76 00:03:57,560 --> 00:04:00,920 Speaker 1: after Thanksgiving, right, and um, it's it's origins. Well, the 77 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:04,320 Speaker 1: origin of the term Black Friday goes back kind of 78 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:09,520 Speaker 1: a ways, apparently to the the mid twentieth century, but 79 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:13,320 Speaker 1: the idea of going shopping, starting your Christmas shopping on 80 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:16,159 Speaker 1: the day after Thanksgiving actually goes back to the late 81 00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:21,280 Speaker 1: nineteenth century early twentieth century. Um, thanks to the department 82 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:24,440 Speaker 1: stores like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and as a 83 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:29,479 Speaker 1: part of those parades. Accident Macy's Parade, right exactly, you know, yeah, 84 00:04:29,560 --> 00:04:32,719 Speaker 1: it's still a good parade though, Um, have you ever been, No, 85 00:04:32,880 --> 00:04:35,120 Speaker 1: I haven't. Yeah, I've never been to the parade, but 86 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:36,960 Speaker 1: a couple of times, Emily, I've gone to the day 87 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:39,640 Speaker 1: before when they blow up the which is really neat, 88 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:41,480 Speaker 1: very cool. You mean, I have a friend who's actually 89 00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:46,280 Speaker 1: holding one of the floats the balloons. Yeah, it's it's 90 00:04:46,320 --> 00:04:49,480 Speaker 1: fun to do. Although we did it like eight or 91 00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:51,680 Speaker 1: nine years ago and it was it was really neat 92 00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:53,880 Speaker 1: and sort of crowded, and then we did it a 93 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:56,960 Speaker 1: couple of years ago and it is nuts. Now it's Yeah, 94 00:04:57,000 --> 00:04:59,680 Speaker 1: it's kind of gone overboard. The word got out. I 95 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:02,440 Speaker 1: think I saw, Yeah, I saw something last year in 96 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:05,240 Speaker 1: the news. Yeah, it's not a place to go if 97 00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:08,159 Speaker 1: you don't like strollers. Let's just say that. Oh yeah, yeah, 98 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:12,960 Speaker 1: strollers with altering entires um. So, but the the idea 99 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:16,320 Speaker 1: of going starting your Christmas shopping the day after Thanksgiving 100 00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:19,880 Speaker 1: came from those parades, and they came from those parades 101 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:22,640 Speaker 1: because all of those parades, pretty much to a parade 102 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:26,560 Speaker 1: featured Santa Claus. Yeah, and usually at the end kind 103 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:29,479 Speaker 1: of like bringing up the rear, and that means we're 104 00:05:29,600 --> 00:05:33,279 Speaker 1: kicking it off. That's the official start of the holiday season. 105 00:05:33,279 --> 00:05:35,560 Speaker 1: That's right, Santa Claus has made his first public appearance. 106 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:39,320 Speaker 1: So Um, from the association of those two came going 107 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:42,880 Speaker 1: holiday shopping the day after Thanksgiving. That was in the 108 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:48,920 Speaker 1: late nineteenth century, in the fifties they think, or early sixties. Uh, well, 109 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:52,840 Speaker 1: the fifties, calling the day after Thanksgiving black Friday came about, 110 00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:55,040 Speaker 1: but it didn't necessarily have anything to do with shopping 111 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:58,400 Speaker 1: by then. It was from factory owners who apparently coined 112 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:02,200 Speaker 1: the term. Yeah, and there's also the other competing theory 113 00:06:02,240 --> 00:06:05,560 Speaker 1: that it was the day that uh stores would go 114 00:06:05,560 --> 00:06:08,920 Speaker 1: into the black meaning start to show profit. But um, 115 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:12,839 Speaker 1: that's not quite right as it No, So that's actually 116 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:15,920 Speaker 1: a well, it's a made up fallacy to gloss over 117 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:19,640 Speaker 1: the original meaning of black Friday. Um. And it came 118 00:06:19,680 --> 00:06:22,159 Speaker 1: out of Philadelphia in the sixties, and the cops and 119 00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:26,200 Speaker 1: the bus drivers and the city workers who worked downtown 120 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:30,880 Speaker 1: came up with calling that day black Friday because apparently 121 00:06:31,240 --> 00:06:33,680 Speaker 1: tons of out of towners would leave their homes on 122 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:37,760 Speaker 1: Thanksgiving converge on Philadelphia to watch the army Navy games 123 00:06:38,040 --> 00:06:40,400 Speaker 1: on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, but they had a day 124 00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:42,719 Speaker 1: to kill, so they all started doing their Christmas shopping 125 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:45,360 Speaker 1: because there were sales in downtown Philly every year, and 126 00:06:45,440 --> 00:06:49,479 Speaker 1: the place would be nuts. Uh. And this was where 127 00:06:49,960 --> 00:06:53,320 Speaker 1: black Friday came from. Apparently the police department wanted to 128 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:55,720 Speaker 1: basically keep people away, so they'd be like, well, you 129 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:58,560 Speaker 1: don't want to go to downtown Philly, it's black Friday. 130 00:06:58,839 --> 00:07:02,799 Speaker 1: And uh. That was the original um reason or origin 131 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:04,960 Speaker 1: of the term. Yeah, I see you saw in here 132 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:08,240 Speaker 1: article from the AP in nineteen five, a sales manager 133 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:12,200 Speaker 1: at Gimbal's um was quoted as saying, that's why bus 134 00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:15,800 Speaker 1: drivers and cab drivers call today black Friday. Uh. They 135 00:07:15,840 --> 00:07:18,320 Speaker 1: think in terms of the headaches that it gives them. 136 00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:21,760 Speaker 1: So I learned something new when I read this. Yeah, 137 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:24,000 Speaker 1: and then I had no idea it spread out of Philly. 138 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:28,520 Speaker 1: And then years later the retail lobbies and retailers themselves said, 139 00:07:28,640 --> 00:07:31,040 Speaker 1: we've got to come up with a better, a better 140 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:34,240 Speaker 1: origin story for this, because we want this to be 141 00:07:34,280 --> 00:07:35,800 Speaker 1: a day that people want to get out of their 142 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:37,840 Speaker 1: house and go shopping, you know. But we should point 143 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:40,720 Speaker 1: out even though it is not the day that companies 144 00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:43,080 Speaker 1: go into the black as it were, which by the way, 145 00:07:43,200 --> 00:07:45,640 Speaker 1: comes from when they did accounting by hand. You're write 146 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:47,800 Speaker 1: in red ink or black ink, depending on you were 147 00:07:48,240 --> 00:07:50,440 Speaker 1: ahead with money or behind red ink. Men, you were 148 00:07:50,640 --> 00:07:54,360 Speaker 1: in the hole. Yeah, black man, everything's good exactly, even 149 00:07:54,360 --> 00:07:57,360 Speaker 1: though it does not mean that. Um. The holiday shopping 150 00:07:57,360 --> 00:08:02,320 Speaker 1: season is when stores make up between of their retail profits. 151 00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:05,480 Speaker 1: So it's a lot. Yeah. I mean even Emily small 152 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:09,280 Speaker 1: business like the I don't know about majority, but a 153 00:08:09,360 --> 00:08:11,800 Speaker 1: large percentage of her yearly sales or you know a 154 00:08:11,800 --> 00:08:14,240 Speaker 1: couple of months, you know. Uh, and it's not just 155 00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:18,720 Speaker 1: her apparently. Um. In two thousand thirteen, the National Retail 156 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:24,880 Speaker 1: Federation is predicting that Americans just in November and December, Chuck, 157 00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:27,560 Speaker 1: are you ready for this? Americans are going to spend 158 00:08:27,880 --> 00:08:33,640 Speaker 1: six and two billion dollars in November and December. That's cray, 159 00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:37,800 Speaker 1: that's a lot of cash. Yeah, in two months. Yeah. 160 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:42,280 Speaker 1: I don't spend like I used to on Christmas. Um. 161 00:08:42,320 --> 00:08:45,960 Speaker 1: Emily and I sometimes will spend on gifts on each 162 00:08:45,960 --> 00:08:48,880 Speaker 1: other or do that like a couple of things where 163 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:50,640 Speaker 1: you like go in and just do something nice for 164 00:08:50,679 --> 00:08:53,559 Speaker 1: your house. Uh, and then like the adults on my 165 00:08:53,600 --> 00:08:56,800 Speaker 1: side of the family. You don't exchange gifts anymore, Um, 166 00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:00,520 Speaker 1: just dirty looks. Yeah, exchange dirty looks. Like my brother 167 00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:02,480 Speaker 1: my sister will chip in usually and get my mom 168 00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:07,520 Speaker 1: something kind of nice or give her offer her a service, 169 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:11,280 Speaker 1: like last year we replaced her fireplace with like a 170 00:09:11,280 --> 00:09:14,920 Speaker 1: gas fireplace, or build her a garden fence, or tile 171 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:17,760 Speaker 1: her kitchen like something like that. Why your mom's got it. Yeah, 172 00:09:17,960 --> 00:09:20,120 Speaker 1: she's an easy street is what you call that. But 173 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:22,560 Speaker 1: Emily's family that they all still exchange gifts, So I 174 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:28,040 Speaker 1: still have my Christmas gift swapping Joan satisfied. You know, yes, 175 00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:35,000 Speaker 1: you get your Christmas present on Yeah, okay, chuck. So um. 176 00:09:35,840 --> 00:09:40,640 Speaker 1: The the idea of shopping after Thanksgiving and then Black Friday, 177 00:09:40,679 --> 00:09:42,400 Speaker 1: that day being called Black Friday. It's been around for 178 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:45,360 Speaker 1: a while. Um, and it's a really valuable day. Yeah, 179 00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:49,160 Speaker 1: you know, it kicks off that two month period where 180 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:52,080 Speaker 1: siwo billion dollars is going to be spent on stuff. 181 00:09:52,240 --> 00:09:56,559 Speaker 1: But it was created like Valentine's Day, It was literally 182 00:09:56,600 --> 00:09:59,840 Speaker 1: created and then the myth kind of became reality just 183 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:02,880 Speaker 1: because they said everyone's gonna shop today. It's the busiest 184 00:10:02,960 --> 00:10:06,160 Speaker 1: day and it became that. Yeah, it wasn't until two 185 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:10,679 Speaker 1: thousand four. Usually the Saturday before Christmas was actually the 186 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:13,160 Speaker 1: busiest shopping day of the year thanks to me. But 187 00:10:13,200 --> 00:10:16,840 Speaker 1: the Retail Federation and all the retailers were like, well, 188 00:10:16,960 --> 00:10:20,320 Speaker 1: we can't just we can't tout that is the busiest 189 00:10:20,320 --> 00:10:22,160 Speaker 1: shopping day of the year. We want to like get 190 00:10:22,160 --> 00:10:24,439 Speaker 1: people spending over the course of a couple of months, 191 00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:28,800 Speaker 1: not the Saturday before Christmas. So they basically said Black 192 00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:32,120 Speaker 1: Fridays the day. And it's, like you said, it just 193 00:10:32,240 --> 00:10:35,040 Speaker 1: kind of became true just from people saying it over time. 194 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:39,199 Speaker 1: I'm surprised that they haven't come up with a catchy 195 00:10:39,320 --> 00:10:43,760 Speaker 1: name for like Procrastinator's Day or something to like pump 196 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:46,320 Speaker 1: up that last Saturday again or something, or to keep 197 00:10:46,320 --> 00:10:48,360 Speaker 1: you from it. So they call it like Shame of 198 00:10:48,400 --> 00:10:51,520 Speaker 1: the Nation Day something like that to make you like 199 00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:57,000 Speaker 1: go go to Black Friday Saturday. Yeah. Um so, and 200 00:10:57,040 --> 00:11:01,880 Speaker 1: there's this website called, um Black Friday archive dot com. 201 00:11:01,960 --> 00:11:04,520 Speaker 1: It's actually like kind of cool if you like nostalgic 202 00:11:04,559 --> 00:11:07,280 Speaker 1: ads or whatever. Nostalgic going back to two thousand and seven, 203 00:11:07,280 --> 00:11:10,120 Speaker 1: I should say, but it's just like scans of black 204 00:11:10,160 --> 00:11:12,880 Speaker 1: Friday print ads from those years, which you're kind of neat. 205 00:11:13,520 --> 00:11:15,839 Speaker 1: If you're totally bored out of your mind, go check 206 00:11:15,880 --> 00:11:19,800 Speaker 1: out Black Friday archive dot com. But um, so Black 207 00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:22,920 Speaker 1: Friday became a smashing success, like two thousand and four, 208 00:11:22,960 --> 00:11:26,240 Speaker 1: two five, it's a relatively recent thing that it became 209 00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:29,079 Speaker 1: what it is today here in the States, which is 210 00:11:29,120 --> 00:11:35,439 Speaker 1: an out of controlled juggernaut shopping in consumeristic frenzy. Right. Um. 211 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:41,320 Speaker 1: But so it was so successful overnight that um, the 212 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:43,760 Speaker 1: retailer said, well, let's figure out ways to extend this 213 00:11:43,760 --> 00:11:46,480 Speaker 1: whole week. So they came up with cyber Monday in 214 00:11:46,520 --> 00:11:49,640 Speaker 1: two thousand five. Ye, that's pretty recent and it uh 215 00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:54,560 Speaker 1: is the online shopping version of Black Friday. Uh, the 216 00:11:54,600 --> 00:11:57,400 Speaker 1: Monday after Thanksgiving. And that was another thing they just 217 00:11:57,720 --> 00:12:00,920 Speaker 1: made up, another self fulfilling myth. It Um, they said, 218 00:12:00,960 --> 00:12:04,640 Speaker 1: that's the the workers go back to their computer after 219 00:12:04,679 --> 00:12:08,440 Speaker 1: Thanksgiving on Monday and they do all their online shopping. Well, 220 00:12:08,640 --> 00:12:10,920 Speaker 1: that wasn't really true, but now it is because the 221 00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:13,760 Speaker 1: retailer said it was in the meeting reported uh. And 222 00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:16,680 Speaker 1: not to be outdone, in two thousand and ten, American 223 00:12:16,720 --> 00:12:20,360 Speaker 1: Express invented Small Business Saturday, which is when you go 224 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:23,320 Speaker 1: out and support small businesses with your money, especially ones 225 00:12:23,320 --> 00:12:27,840 Speaker 1: that take American Express exactly. Uh. So, there's it's interesting 226 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:32,360 Speaker 1: that literally creating days to tell people basically, if you're 227 00:12:32,360 --> 00:12:36,040 Speaker 1: not shopping the day, you're missing out on really good deals, 228 00:12:36,240 --> 00:12:40,439 Speaker 1: right exactly. Um. And the more days the better as 229 00:12:40,440 --> 00:12:44,200 Speaker 1: far as retailers are concerned. Um. But there's only so 230 00:12:44,240 --> 00:12:49,840 Speaker 1: many days after Thanksgiving. So they started to think recently, like, well, 231 00:12:49,880 --> 00:12:51,760 Speaker 1: what if we pushed in the other direction rather from 232 00:12:51,800 --> 00:12:55,520 Speaker 1: Friday on what's behind Friday? Oh, yeah, Thanksgiving? We can't 233 00:12:55,520 --> 00:12:58,959 Speaker 1: touch that for shame, Well, it's starting in two thousand 234 00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:03,240 Speaker 1: and twelve, they started touching it. Walmart actually UM opened 235 00:13:03,240 --> 00:13:07,920 Speaker 1: at eight pm on Thanksgiving in two thous twelve, UM, 236 00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:10,680 Speaker 1: and there was there was a general strike called that 237 00:13:10,760 --> 00:13:14,679 Speaker 1: we'll talk about later because of that, because these stores 238 00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:17,719 Speaker 1: are not supposed to be open on Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is 239 00:13:17,760 --> 00:13:19,800 Speaker 1: its own day. It's a day of being with family 240 00:13:20,160 --> 00:13:23,760 Speaker 1: and celebrating and giving up. Until two thousand and twelve, 241 00:13:23,840 --> 00:13:26,880 Speaker 1: it was Sacro SANCD. Yeah. This year, Macy's and J. C. 242 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:29,760 Speaker 1: Penny for the first time are opening on Thanksgiving, and 243 00:13:29,880 --> 00:13:34,280 Speaker 1: Sears and Toys r Us as well. Thanksgiving evening. Uh. 244 00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:39,079 Speaker 1: And Kmart is opening at six am on Thanksgiving, basically 245 00:13:39,160 --> 00:13:45,440 Speaker 1: extending Black Friday through the weekends. That's not a day. 246 00:13:45,559 --> 00:13:47,520 Speaker 1: That's how long Kmart is going to be open. Black 247 00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:52,240 Speaker 1: Friday at Kmart last forty one hours. Yeah, that's pretty crazy. Uh. 248 00:13:52,280 --> 00:13:55,000 Speaker 1: And at shopping malls, um, you're gonna have some smaller 249 00:13:55,080 --> 00:13:59,840 Speaker 1: stores doing the same thing. And estimated will be open 250 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:03,280 Speaker 1: at eight pm on Thanksgiving Day and two thirds will 251 00:14:03,280 --> 00:14:08,360 Speaker 1: open at midnight. So essentially what's happening is Thanksgiving evening 252 00:14:09,080 --> 00:14:14,839 Speaker 1: is being ruined by retail you know. Yeah. I think 253 00:14:14,880 --> 00:14:17,960 Speaker 1: the retailers would say, well, you know, we don't We've 254 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:20,640 Speaker 1: seen that people, right, We've seen that people start lining 255 00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:24,720 Speaker 1: up Thanksgiving afternoon, Thanksgiving evening to wait for us to 256 00:14:24,800 --> 00:14:27,760 Speaker 1: open like that, you know, the next morning, So why 257 00:14:27,760 --> 00:14:30,440 Speaker 1: don't we just open? So, I mean, I think it's 258 00:14:30,520 --> 00:14:32,920 Speaker 1: kind of um, it goes both ways, but I pretty 259 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:35,680 Speaker 1: much see where you're coming from. Yeah, well, this year 260 00:14:35,720 --> 00:14:39,400 Speaker 1: it's a little trickier two because Thanksgiving comes on November 261 00:14:39,440 --> 00:14:44,920 Speaker 1: twenty eight, which is the latest to spend in eleven years. Yeah, 262 00:14:45,080 --> 00:14:51,360 Speaker 1: is that right? Uh? Yeah, so weirdly because they still 263 00:14:51,360 --> 00:14:54,360 Speaker 1: sort of have to enforce Black Friday. They're actually shortening 264 00:14:54,400 --> 00:14:57,200 Speaker 1: their own shopping season a little bit this year, which 265 00:14:57,200 --> 00:14:59,120 Speaker 1: is probably why some of them are opening on Thanksgiving. 266 00:14:59,280 --> 00:15:03,880 Speaker 1: That's exactly, it's it's six days shorter than usual this year. Um. 267 00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:08,560 Speaker 1: So just by the very existence by making up Black Friday, 268 00:15:08,440 --> 00:15:10,520 Speaker 1: they screwed themselves this year a little bit. They have 269 00:15:10,640 --> 00:15:14,360 Speaker 1: a week yeah, because there's um in other countries like Canada, 270 00:15:14,520 --> 00:15:19,200 Speaker 1: the UK, the Netherlands, countries, um that that observed the 271 00:15:19,320 --> 00:15:23,120 Speaker 1: Christmas holidays like we do in America, meaning everybody gives 272 00:15:23,120 --> 00:15:26,800 Speaker 1: everybody else presents and things like that, and they spend money. Um, 273 00:15:27,200 --> 00:15:30,320 Speaker 1: but those countries don't have a Black Friday, a day 274 00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:34,520 Speaker 1: that officially kicks off the holiday shopping season. Um. Those 275 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:38,200 Speaker 1: countries spend more over the course of the holiday season 276 00:15:38,480 --> 00:15:42,000 Speaker 1: because they have a longer period of time to shop. Um. 277 00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:46,800 Speaker 1: So without Black Friday in America, the retailers would possibly 278 00:15:46,840 --> 00:15:49,320 Speaker 1: make more money. So they've definitely painted themselves into a 279 00:15:49,360 --> 00:15:52,120 Speaker 1: corner by making Black Friday such a thing. And this 280 00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:54,840 Speaker 1: year it's really kind of pointing out like we may 281 00:15:54,840 --> 00:15:56,960 Speaker 1: be shooting ourselves in the foot here, so what can 282 00:15:57,000 --> 00:15:59,560 Speaker 1: we do? Well. Their solution has been well, we'll just 283 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:02,760 Speaker 1: take over Thanksgiving to but that's not necessarily sustainable, and 284 00:16:02,760 --> 00:16:04,760 Speaker 1: there's a lot of people are saying Black Friday is 285 00:16:04,760 --> 00:16:06,640 Speaker 1: going to go the way of the dinosaur. Yeah. I 286 00:16:06,640 --> 00:16:09,560 Speaker 1: read an interesting article in the New Yorker this morning, 287 00:16:09,880 --> 00:16:12,360 Speaker 1: finance article. I think it was New Yorker, it might 288 00:16:12,400 --> 00:16:15,480 Speaker 1: have been New York Times. But this financial analyst is 289 00:16:15,520 --> 00:16:20,080 Speaker 1: basically analyzing how the sales go and sort of saying 290 00:16:20,080 --> 00:16:24,480 Speaker 1: that it's really not financially the smartest approach to take 291 00:16:24,960 --> 00:16:27,960 Speaker 1: forever shoppers or the retail for the retailers to offer 292 00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:30,960 Speaker 1: these huge, deep discounts and sort of blow it out 293 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:34,680 Speaker 1: in one day. A better, smarter financial approach would be 294 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:38,680 Speaker 1: to elongate the seas shopping season at a and not 295 00:16:38,720 --> 00:16:43,680 Speaker 1: even discount things, maybe even raise prices. And his contention 296 00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:46,240 Speaker 1: is that they're shooting themselves in the foot, But um, 297 00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:49,080 Speaker 1: I think he's right. He probably is. But at the 298 00:16:49,120 --> 00:16:51,520 Speaker 1: same time, if you were one of those people like um, 299 00:16:52,520 --> 00:16:56,000 Speaker 1: like me frankly, who went to the mall the day 300 00:16:56,120 --> 00:17:00,640 Speaker 1: after Halloween and saw that the lights were the garland 301 00:17:00,680 --> 00:17:03,520 Speaker 1: was out, Santa's workshop was ready to go like the 302 00:17:04,040 --> 00:17:07,920 Speaker 1: November one. The place was totally decked out for Christmas 303 00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:11,920 Speaker 1: with Christmas carols piping through. See that's that's ridiculous. But 304 00:17:12,040 --> 00:17:14,600 Speaker 1: see without but that was the great thing about Black Friday. 305 00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:16,280 Speaker 1: It's like you, you you know, you had a month of 306 00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:19,719 Speaker 1: just kind of chilling out everything getting ready between between 307 00:17:19,760 --> 00:17:22,919 Speaker 1: Halloween and Thanksgiving. Then you had Thanksgiving and in the 308 00:17:22,920 --> 00:17:26,440 Speaker 1: holiday season started without Black Friday. It's kind of like this, 309 00:17:26,600 --> 00:17:31,920 Speaker 1: um this damn that's holding back the holiday season from 310 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:36,520 Speaker 1: spilling into basically October. But with retailers figuring out that 311 00:17:36,600 --> 00:17:40,920 Speaker 1: it's an impedence to them making money, it probably won't 312 00:17:40,960 --> 00:17:43,720 Speaker 1: start the official season any longer. It'll probably be further 313 00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:46,080 Speaker 1: back from now on. Yeah, well I think we're in 314 00:17:46,720 --> 00:17:49,160 Speaker 1: I don't know, but well, technically slightly in the minority. 315 00:17:49,359 --> 00:17:55,080 Speaker 1: Um In two thousand of the population of American adults 316 00:17:55,080 --> 00:17:59,119 Speaker 1: said they will shop on Black Friday, So fifty that 317 00:17:59,119 --> 00:18:01,600 Speaker 1: puts us in the noority by a bit and two 318 00:18:01,600 --> 00:18:05,840 Speaker 1: thousand eleven A hundred and fifty two Americans, uh millions, 319 00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:10,440 Speaker 1: just a hundred, but they spent five hundred billion dollars. Yeah, 320 00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:15,040 Speaker 1: two really rich Americans. A hundred fifty two million shopped 321 00:18:15,160 --> 00:18:18,280 Speaker 1: on that day for an average of three hours at 322 00:18:18,320 --> 00:18:23,120 Speaker 1: a time, which is uh, not too long, but that's 323 00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:27,320 Speaker 1: I mean, three hours is like ever. But I saw 324 00:18:27,359 --> 00:18:30,680 Speaker 1: a woman who did sixteen though, like a sixteen hour 325 00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:33,600 Speaker 1: stretch of shopping. She better have gotten it all done 326 00:18:33,640 --> 00:18:37,240 Speaker 1: at least, I hope. So you know, yeah, like if 327 00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:39,679 Speaker 1: she shopped for sixteen hours and only got like three gifts, 328 00:18:40,080 --> 00:18:42,960 Speaker 1: it's not time a well spent um. There's also evidence, 329 00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:47,000 Speaker 1: uh that the internet is basically knocking on Black Friday's door. 330 00:18:47,520 --> 00:18:52,040 Speaker 1: Thanksgiving days the fastest growing online shopping day. Um. And 331 00:18:52,080 --> 00:18:54,520 Speaker 1: I think like seventy of the people who said that 332 00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:56,439 Speaker 1: they're going to shop on Black Friday said they'll do 333 00:18:56,520 --> 00:19:01,040 Speaker 1: some or most of it online. Um. So the internet 334 00:19:01,160 --> 00:19:03,880 Speaker 1: still there for retailers to make money. But the idea 335 00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:09,200 Speaker 1: of Black Friday in store sales going extinct is probably 336 00:19:09,240 --> 00:19:13,199 Speaker 1: not going to happen because it's its own thing. Like 337 00:19:13,280 --> 00:19:17,720 Speaker 1: there's this one consumer psychologist or consumer analysts I think 338 00:19:18,119 --> 00:19:20,800 Speaker 1: uh pointed out that it's it's a tradition number one, 339 00:19:21,720 --> 00:19:24,479 Speaker 1: uh and number two, there's a certain element of like 340 00:19:24,760 --> 00:19:28,520 Speaker 1: sport to it. It's it's more than just getting a 341 00:19:28,560 --> 00:19:32,400 Speaker 1: good deal. It's like you know, throwing a fist at 342 00:19:32,440 --> 00:19:34,760 Speaker 1: somebody while you get a good dealers something to it 343 00:19:34,840 --> 00:19:38,600 Speaker 1: that that transcends the whole thing. So we mentioned door Busters. 344 00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:42,760 Speaker 1: It's a central part of the cog that is Black Friday, 345 00:19:43,080 --> 00:19:45,399 Speaker 1: and it goes back in print, believe it or not, 346 00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:51,639 Speaker 1: to the year nineteen seventeen in anecdotally, where in a 347 00:19:51,720 --> 00:19:54,960 Speaker 1: retailer will basically say, you know what, we have one 348 00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:58,520 Speaker 1: item or usually it's a few now, but some really deep, 349 00:19:58,560 --> 00:20:01,680 Speaker 1: deep and really super great deals on just a few 350 00:20:01,680 --> 00:20:04,840 Speaker 1: select items, so like, for example, a good laptop for 351 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:09,280 Speaker 1: a hundred and eighty dollars, and like deals like that, 352 00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:13,359 Speaker 1: iPods for half off, for a TV for like really 353 00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:16,840 Speaker 1: really like you said, very good discounts. But here's the deal. 354 00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:20,480 Speaker 1: It's a scam people. It's a bait and switch. It's 355 00:20:20,760 --> 00:20:22,879 Speaker 1: it's a bait and switch. They they've only got a 356 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:26,679 Speaker 1: very limited amount of these select items, which is why 357 00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:29,639 Speaker 1: the violence happens, which we'll get to in a minute. Uh. 358 00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:31,400 Speaker 1: And then after that they're hoping you get in there. 359 00:20:31,640 --> 00:20:34,040 Speaker 1: You don't get that laptop, but you're like, screw it. 360 00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:37,600 Speaker 1: I'm at Walmart at five am. I might as well 361 00:20:37,640 --> 00:20:43,280 Speaker 1: buy some stuff regular priced or slightly discounted items. Um. 362 00:20:43,359 --> 00:20:45,520 Speaker 1: And you know that's how they get you in the store. 363 00:20:45,680 --> 00:20:47,720 Speaker 1: That's how they get you. It is, um, and it 364 00:20:47,880 --> 00:20:51,159 Speaker 1: is It's true that there these items do exist and 365 00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:55,480 Speaker 1: they are for that deal. There there there for that price, 366 00:20:55,520 --> 00:20:59,080 Speaker 1: I should say, um, But there's only like ten and 367 00:20:59,119 --> 00:21:01,960 Speaker 1: in the fine print and it's like one person and 368 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:04,800 Speaker 1: that deals is for in stock only, like you can't 369 00:21:04,800 --> 00:21:07,240 Speaker 1: get a rain check or anything like that. But the 370 00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:10,359 Speaker 1: the concept that these deals do exist for those items 371 00:21:10,359 --> 00:21:15,040 Speaker 1: that are in the store, coupled with whoever physically gets 372 00:21:15,080 --> 00:21:19,760 Speaker 1: their hands on that item first gets that deal, um, 373 00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:25,960 Speaker 1: leads to doors actually being busted. It's called recipe for disaster. Yeah. Um. 374 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:28,639 Speaker 1: All right, So before we get to the dark days 375 00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:31,600 Speaker 1: and the bad stuff that can happen, truly, Uh, let's 376 00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:39,720 Speaker 1: do a little message break. All right, Let's go back 377 00:21:39,800 --> 00:21:43,240 Speaker 1: a little bit to two thousand eight, and probably the 378 00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:45,640 Speaker 1: well House could say the darkest incident, but I think 379 00:21:45,640 --> 00:21:47,560 Speaker 1: the Toys r US may be darker. I think this 380 00:21:47,600 --> 00:21:50,560 Speaker 1: one's darker because the people were involved. Yeah, yeah, that's true, 381 00:21:50,560 --> 00:21:54,600 Speaker 1: all right, two thousand eight in Valley Stream, Long Island. Uh, 382 00:21:54,640 --> 00:21:57,480 Speaker 1: it was at a Walmart and it was five pm 383 00:21:57,640 --> 00:22:03,440 Speaker 1: on Thanksgiving, So basically people there the day before. Um 384 00:22:03,480 --> 00:22:04,880 Speaker 1: it wasn't one of those days where it was open 385 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:08,040 Speaker 1: on Thanksgiving, so they're there to wait until five am. 386 00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:09,920 Speaker 1: So at least twelve hours ahead of time, there were 387 00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:13,880 Speaker 1: about a thousand people already set up there. Some people 388 00:22:13,920 --> 00:22:16,760 Speaker 1: are camping out intents, they're waiting, they got their coffee, 389 00:22:16,760 --> 00:22:21,080 Speaker 1: they're probably slugging some jim Beam to warm the belly. 390 00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:23,200 Speaker 1: And uh so the police came out and said, you 391 00:22:23,200 --> 00:22:26,280 Speaker 1: know what, let's set up a buffer zone a barricade, 392 00:22:26,640 --> 00:22:29,520 Speaker 1: which worked till about two am when that was breached 393 00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:32,119 Speaker 1: and the cops basically said, we're out of here. This 394 00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:34,959 Speaker 1: isn't part of our job. Yeah, the crowd had turned angry. 395 00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:39,320 Speaker 1: Um a little bit after that. Um so one of 396 00:22:39,359 --> 00:22:41,959 Speaker 1: the store employees had some family members come and like 397 00:22:42,280 --> 00:22:44,880 Speaker 1: they took them out of the line and took them 398 00:22:44,880 --> 00:22:47,240 Speaker 1: in the store. Not a good idea. Yeah, But even 399 00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:49,879 Speaker 1: even if, even if everyone in the crowd would have 400 00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:51,560 Speaker 1: been cool with it, I don't think everybody in the 401 00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:54,040 Speaker 1: crowd realized that they were family members of an employee. 402 00:22:54,440 --> 00:22:58,960 Speaker 1: So the crowd actually turned like ugly. Yeah, they broke 403 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:02,240 Speaker 1: through the barricade. Uh and we're squeezed against you know 404 00:23:02,240 --> 00:23:05,200 Speaker 1: how the stores have the entrance and then that little 405 00:23:05,320 --> 00:23:08,639 Speaker 1: glass in vestibule area before and then usually a second 406 00:23:08,760 --> 00:23:10,959 Speaker 1: entrance right to get into the store itself. So there 407 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:13,119 Speaker 1: was about, um by this time, there was about two 408 00:23:13,200 --> 00:23:15,480 Speaker 1: thousand people waiting for the store to open. It was 409 00:23:15,520 --> 00:23:17,800 Speaker 1: four am. The store is gonna open at five, and 410 00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:20,520 Speaker 1: a couple of hundred were in between this little buffer 411 00:23:20,600 --> 00:23:25,360 Speaker 1: zone and those front exterior doors and being pressed up, 412 00:23:25,520 --> 00:23:28,879 Speaker 1: literally crushed to death. And there's this fascinating article in 413 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:31,080 Speaker 1: the New Yorker by a guy named John Seabrook called 414 00:23:31,080 --> 00:23:33,960 Speaker 1: crush Point, and it's about not just this incident, but 415 00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:39,840 Speaker 1: um uh just crushings in general, where somebody, yeah we 416 00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:43,040 Speaker 1: covered that like years ago, it seems like it. Yet 417 00:23:43,800 --> 00:23:47,159 Speaker 1: you check out that article. Yeah, people literally yelling, pushed 418 00:23:47,160 --> 00:23:51,240 Speaker 1: the doors in chanting this, and just before five o'clock, 419 00:23:51,400 --> 00:23:55,040 Speaker 1: it's it's a pretty bad scene. And uh, workers in 420 00:23:55,040 --> 00:23:57,960 Speaker 1: that vegetablebule area realized that there was a pregnant lady 421 00:23:58,040 --> 00:24:01,840 Speaker 1: name uh Leana Lockley being crushed against the doors, and 422 00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:03,720 Speaker 1: so they're like, we gotta get this lady in here, 423 00:24:04,320 --> 00:24:08,640 Speaker 1: opened the doors enough to squeeze her through she got in, um, 424 00:24:08,680 --> 00:24:12,360 Speaker 1: and then the crowd surged forward and it just kind 425 00:24:12,359 --> 00:24:15,760 Speaker 1: of went downhill from there, and they still did the 426 00:24:15,840 --> 00:24:19,040 Speaker 1: ten nine eight countdown. Isn't that mind boggling. It's mind 427 00:24:19,040 --> 00:24:21,159 Speaker 1: boggling that they didn't. Well, first of all, that the 428 00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:24,040 Speaker 1: cops left, Yeah, they said, they said, apparently in the 429 00:24:24,119 --> 00:24:27,560 Speaker 1: court deposition that the cops when they lets said controlling 430 00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:30,720 Speaker 1: this cards not in our job description. Good luck. Walmart 431 00:24:30,760 --> 00:24:33,840 Speaker 1: had hired a security force of two for the event. 432 00:24:34,080 --> 00:24:36,400 Speaker 1: One person hadn't shown up, the other one was inside 433 00:24:36,400 --> 00:24:38,760 Speaker 1: the store not helping. So they got a bunch of 434 00:24:38,760 --> 00:24:41,800 Speaker 1: their stock guys, their their biggest dudes that they could find, 435 00:24:42,200 --> 00:24:45,200 Speaker 1: and said come staying as vestibule and help anybody who 436 00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:48,040 Speaker 1: like falls down or That's when I would have been like, dude, 437 00:24:48,080 --> 00:24:51,119 Speaker 1: that's not in my job description exactly. Well, they didn't 438 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:54,480 Speaker 1: say that. Um. And when the doors finally opened after 439 00:24:54,520 --> 00:24:58,159 Speaker 1: the festive countdown, while these people were being crushed against 440 00:24:58,160 --> 00:25:00,840 Speaker 1: the front, unbelievable, the doors start it to to open, and 441 00:25:00,920 --> 00:25:03,680 Speaker 1: right when they opened, they actually gave weight and were 442 00:25:03,800 --> 00:25:09,080 Speaker 1: literally busted by this wave of humanity. Yeah. And at 443 00:25:09,080 --> 00:25:12,160 Speaker 1: that point the employees um their little red rover line 444 00:25:12,560 --> 00:25:16,280 Speaker 1: was completely ineffective. People are getting knocked down, some of 445 00:25:16,280 --> 00:25:18,840 Speaker 1: the workers are getting blown out of the way. Some 446 00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:22,280 Speaker 1: are jumping on vending machines. It's ridiculous. What. Yeah, A 447 00:25:22,320 --> 00:25:24,800 Speaker 1: couple of them like climbed up the coke machine to 448 00:25:24,920 --> 00:25:27,480 Speaker 1: like get out of the way first safe harbor. One 449 00:25:27,520 --> 00:25:30,119 Speaker 1: guy who was in the in the way of the 450 00:25:30,119 --> 00:25:34,520 Speaker 1: crowd when the doors gave way. Um. This article by 451 00:25:34,560 --> 00:25:37,879 Speaker 1: John Sebrook puts it that he was blown back. So again, 452 00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:40,960 Speaker 1: there's a vestibule, there's the outer doors. There's a vestibule, 453 00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:43,040 Speaker 1: and then there's inner doors, and then there's the store. 454 00:25:43,720 --> 00:25:46,280 Speaker 1: This guy got blown from the outer doors all the 455 00:25:46,320 --> 00:25:49,280 Speaker 1: way through the vestibule, through the inner doors into the 456 00:25:49,359 --> 00:25:52,480 Speaker 1: store by this wave of people. Two thousand people. Yeah, 457 00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:54,640 Speaker 1: just coming in all at once, all trying to get 458 00:25:54,680 --> 00:25:57,879 Speaker 1: their hands on that door buster like an iPod or something. 459 00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:02,480 Speaker 1: So that's not the end of the story, sadly, Um, 460 00:26:02,560 --> 00:26:06,040 Speaker 1: people are getting crushed. This pregnant woman trips over some 461 00:26:06,080 --> 00:26:08,639 Speaker 1: old woman. She's on the ground at this point, pregnant, 462 00:26:08,800 --> 00:26:12,200 Speaker 1: yea Leanna Lockley in danger of being you know, trampled 463 00:26:12,200 --> 00:26:15,280 Speaker 1: to death. Uh, And then she somehow managed to get 464 00:26:15,280 --> 00:26:18,560 Speaker 1: to her knees and saw an employee. Um, do you 465 00:26:18,600 --> 00:26:22,120 Speaker 1: know how to pronounce his first name? Uh, Jim ta more, 466 00:26:22,359 --> 00:26:26,040 Speaker 1: Jim t de more. He uh was assigned to help 467 00:26:26,040 --> 00:26:28,840 Speaker 1: people in case anyone fell fell down next to her. 468 00:26:29,320 --> 00:26:33,000 Speaker 1: The doors fell on top of him, and two thousand 469 00:26:33,080 --> 00:26:36,840 Speaker 1: people trampled over those doors and killed him. Yeah, he 470 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:40,800 Speaker 1: was trampled to death. He died of asphyxiation being crushed 471 00:26:40,880 --> 00:26:43,160 Speaker 1: under the door. And he was a stop guy at 472 00:26:43,200 --> 00:26:45,680 Speaker 1: six am, six or three am. He was pronounced dead 473 00:26:45,720 --> 00:26:49,400 Speaker 1: one hour after the festive countdown to let people get 474 00:26:49,400 --> 00:26:52,200 Speaker 1: into shop, and that was at the hospital an hour later, 475 00:26:52,280 --> 00:26:56,280 Speaker 1: so he most likely died on the scene. Um, and 476 00:26:56,440 --> 00:27:00,119 Speaker 1: pretty awful. What's crazy, Chuck? If that story is not 477 00:27:00,200 --> 00:27:06,800 Speaker 1: bad enough, tramplings are actually really common, and like, somebody 478 00:27:06,840 --> 00:27:09,240 Speaker 1: might not die, you might not be asphyxiated, and he 479 00:27:09,320 --> 00:27:11,280 Speaker 1: might not have died had he not gotten caught under 480 00:27:11,320 --> 00:27:15,399 Speaker 1: the door. Um, but the people getting knocked down. If 481 00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:17,440 Speaker 1: you want to see this, just go on to YouTube 482 00:27:17,520 --> 00:27:20,840 Speaker 1: and type in black Friday, not even Black Friday tramplings. 483 00:27:20,920 --> 00:27:23,879 Speaker 1: Just type in black Friday and you will see tons 484 00:27:23,880 --> 00:27:28,040 Speaker 1: of compilations of store security footage of people coming in 485 00:27:28,280 --> 00:27:30,720 Speaker 1: right when the store opens on a Black Friday sale, 486 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:33,919 Speaker 1: just climbing over one another, knocking each other down. Some 487 00:27:33,960 --> 00:27:35,800 Speaker 1: people help other people up or drag them out of 488 00:27:35,840 --> 00:27:38,720 Speaker 1: the way or whatever, but just as frequently people just 489 00:27:38,760 --> 00:27:41,920 Speaker 1: climb over the ones who are down for a sale. 490 00:27:42,080 --> 00:27:45,520 Speaker 1: It's it's insane. I seriously encourage everybody to go check 491 00:27:45,520 --> 00:27:48,040 Speaker 1: out some video of it. Yeah. I can't believe that 492 00:27:48,200 --> 00:27:53,359 Speaker 1: after this incident, that there wasn't a law pass outlawing 493 00:27:53,680 --> 00:28:00,320 Speaker 1: outright Black Friday sales. You know that is not happening. Well, 494 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:04,520 Speaker 1: but it's ridiculous because there's it's economists and analysts have 495 00:28:04,600 --> 00:28:07,399 Speaker 1: proven that you can have like even it's not like 496 00:28:07,440 --> 00:28:09,560 Speaker 1: they'd lose money. They would probably make more money if 497 00:28:09,560 --> 00:28:12,960 Speaker 1: they didn't have these blockbuster sales. So it's not like 498 00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:14,680 Speaker 1: they could say, well, you can't, you're keeping me from 499 00:28:14,680 --> 00:28:17,359 Speaker 1: doing my business. I don't know. I just can't believe 500 00:28:17,359 --> 00:28:19,680 Speaker 1: they can't outlaw something like this. So that was that 501 00:28:19,760 --> 00:28:23,879 Speaker 1: was a pretty horrendous example of a crowd crush and 502 00:28:23,880 --> 00:28:26,800 Speaker 1: a trampling um. But other things that happen. You mentioned 503 00:28:26,840 --> 00:28:29,359 Speaker 1: the toys r us in Palm Desert, California a couple 504 00:28:29,359 --> 00:28:31,359 Speaker 1: of years back, right, Yeah, that was in two thousand 505 00:28:31,359 --> 00:28:33,240 Speaker 1: and eight. These two women got in a fist fight 506 00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:39,120 Speaker 1: and then their husbands got into it. And basically, first 507 00:28:39,120 --> 00:28:42,400 Speaker 1: of all, these two men were carrying guns into a 508 00:28:42,480 --> 00:28:45,240 Speaker 1: Toys r Us for the Christmas shop, which is the 509 00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:48,560 Speaker 1: weird uh, And they started a shootout with each other, 510 00:28:48,600 --> 00:28:53,040 Speaker 1: basically and not a very skilled one apparently. I read 511 00:28:53,040 --> 00:28:55,000 Speaker 1: about it like one guy forgot to cock his gun. 512 00:28:55,600 --> 00:28:58,040 Speaker 1: The other guy like his didn't work either. So they 513 00:28:58,040 --> 00:29:00,480 Speaker 1: start chasing each other through the store through a store, 514 00:29:00,720 --> 00:29:04,880 Speaker 1: shooting at each other. Luckily, no one else died, but 515 00:29:05,240 --> 00:29:08,360 Speaker 1: those two gentlemen shot each other and died. Yeah, and 516 00:29:08,440 --> 00:29:10,760 Speaker 1: the toys are us because of their wife's got in 517 00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:13,920 Speaker 1: a fistfight on Black Friday at the toys arrest during 518 00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:16,280 Speaker 1: Christmas shopping. I'm surprised no one else if they're running 519 00:29:16,280 --> 00:29:19,520 Speaker 1: through the store shooting, uh. I think everybody cleared out 520 00:29:19,520 --> 00:29:22,640 Speaker 1: of the their way. Yeah, I I know. I wouldn't 521 00:29:22,760 --> 00:29:24,440 Speaker 1: follow them around and be like, hey, guys, what are 522 00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:28,840 Speaker 1: you doing? Where's the Doorbusters? In two thousand eleven, a 523 00:29:28,880 --> 00:29:32,719 Speaker 1: woman at a Los Angeles walmart, uh Pepper sprayed some 524 00:29:32,760 --> 00:29:35,600 Speaker 1: people in the video games. Initially, the cops saw it 525 00:29:35,600 --> 00:29:38,120 Speaker 1: while this you know lady was some Black Friday jerk, 526 00:29:38,280 --> 00:29:41,280 Speaker 1: which would make her a pretty awful awful person. Yeah, 527 00:29:41,280 --> 00:29:43,479 Speaker 1: but apparently the real story is and and she actually 528 00:29:43,480 --> 00:29:47,960 Speaker 1: got out of it. Um was that her children were attacked, uh, punched, kicked, 529 00:29:47,960 --> 00:29:50,680 Speaker 1: thrown to the ground by shoppers trying to get an 530 00:29:50,800 --> 00:29:53,720 Speaker 1: xbox from these children. And so she defended her kids 531 00:29:53,720 --> 00:29:56,600 Speaker 1: by pepper spraying these jerks. Right, And if this thing 532 00:29:56,720 --> 00:29:59,080 Speaker 1: still hasn't been settled, the most recent thing I saw 533 00:29:59,200 --> 00:30:02,680 Speaker 1: was that, Um, I year on so last year, Um, 534 00:30:02,800 --> 00:30:05,200 Speaker 1: the cops still hadn't filed charges, so I guess they 535 00:30:05,560 --> 00:30:09,200 Speaker 1: believed her story. But she shopped anyway after that happened 536 00:30:09,600 --> 00:30:12,480 Speaker 1: and bought her items. So she pepper sprays a bunch 537 00:30:12,520 --> 00:30:15,280 Speaker 1: of people, affects twenty people, causes a bit of a 538 00:30:15,320 --> 00:30:20,120 Speaker 1: trampling pandemonium. Uh. And then two horrible things happened after that. One, 539 00:30:20,320 --> 00:30:22,719 Speaker 1: like you said, the lady took her kids and her 540 00:30:22,760 --> 00:30:26,000 Speaker 1: items and went to the store and checked out, bought 541 00:30:26,040 --> 00:30:30,680 Speaker 1: her stuff. Uh. Second, the people outside the immediate circle 542 00:30:30,720 --> 00:30:33,120 Speaker 1: where she pepper spray, but still in that little area 543 00:30:33,600 --> 00:30:35,680 Speaker 1: stuck around, still tried to get their hands on the 544 00:30:35,720 --> 00:30:38,760 Speaker 1: sail item and they're like checking out in their eyes 545 00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:40,760 Speaker 1: and those are watering, and there's like just just ring 546 00:30:40,800 --> 00:30:43,880 Speaker 1: it up, let me get home. Yeah, and of course 547 00:30:43,920 --> 00:30:47,440 Speaker 1: took there's um the workers as well. Well, yeah, I mean, 548 00:30:47,800 --> 00:30:51,000 Speaker 1: no one wants to work on Thanksgiving, and and this year, 549 00:30:51,080 --> 00:30:53,719 Speaker 1: like we said, a lot of retailers are opening on 550 00:30:53,800 --> 00:30:55,920 Speaker 1: Thanksgiving and there's really not anything they can do about 551 00:30:55,920 --> 00:30:58,360 Speaker 1: it if they want to keep their job, which is 552 00:30:58,360 --> 00:31:02,320 Speaker 1: really sad. And Walmart uh employees planned a strike I 553 00:31:02,320 --> 00:31:05,400 Speaker 1: think last year in two thousand twelve, and it didn't work. 554 00:31:05,480 --> 00:31:11,560 Speaker 1: Only twenty six stores reported striking employees, so for fear 555 00:31:11,600 --> 00:31:13,320 Speaker 1: of losing their jobs, probably they had to come to 556 00:31:13,320 --> 00:31:17,440 Speaker 1: work anyway. Well, camartin particular was criticized this year for 557 00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:20,880 Speaker 1: opening at six am on Thanksgiving, and Camart said, these 558 00:31:20,880 --> 00:31:23,240 Speaker 1: people don't have to work like that, we're not forcing 559 00:31:23,280 --> 00:31:26,280 Speaker 1: them to work, and uh, their critics are saying, well, actually, 560 00:31:26,320 --> 00:31:29,720 Speaker 1: that's not necessarily true because you're using part time seasonal 561 00:31:29,760 --> 00:31:33,000 Speaker 1: employees and there's no federal mandate that those people have 562 00:31:33,080 --> 00:31:36,320 Speaker 1: to have holidays or time off. So therefore they're in 563 00:31:36,320 --> 00:31:38,800 Speaker 1: a position where they either work or you can fire 564 00:31:38,840 --> 00:31:42,120 Speaker 1: them legally. Uh, so they kind of do have to work. 565 00:31:42,920 --> 00:31:45,680 Speaker 1: There's a lot of ugliness on Black Friday. But chuck, 566 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:48,600 Speaker 1: if you are just the average normal person, like my 567 00:31:48,760 --> 00:31:51,160 Speaker 1: brother in law loves to go Black Friday shopping and 568 00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:54,840 Speaker 1: he'll he'll like, go at midnight go to the Doorbuster sales, 569 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:58,400 Speaker 1: but he's like, he's not crazy. Well, the majority of 570 00:31:58,440 --> 00:32:00,760 Speaker 1: them don't end in violence, because this happens all over 571 00:32:00,800 --> 00:32:02,880 Speaker 1: the country and these are isolated incidents, so it's not 572 00:32:02,920 --> 00:32:06,200 Speaker 1: like at every Doorbuster sale you're gonna get trampled. But 573 00:32:06,440 --> 00:32:09,800 Speaker 1: there is a risk there is, and um, the people 574 00:32:09,880 --> 00:32:11,640 Speaker 1: you want to look out for. Apparently there was a 575 00:32:11,680 --> 00:32:15,280 Speaker 1: study of consumer behavior at Black Friday sales and it 576 00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:19,280 Speaker 1: was a legitimate study. Um it said that you want 577 00:32:19,360 --> 00:32:22,360 Speaker 1: to look out for the people who have done a 578 00:32:22,400 --> 00:32:26,959 Speaker 1: lot of planning, because they exhibit the most anti social 579 00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:31,000 Speaker 1: behavior like shoving, pushing, yelling. They've got their plan in 580 00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:33,920 Speaker 1: place and nothing's going to alter that, and they feel 581 00:32:33,960 --> 00:32:36,120 Speaker 1: like they've really put the time in and they're not 582 00:32:36,160 --> 00:32:39,120 Speaker 1: about to lose that Doorbusters who has never done it 583 00:32:39,160 --> 00:32:41,920 Speaker 1: before and just showed up, who just lucked into into 584 00:32:42,040 --> 00:32:46,320 Speaker 1: line or whatever. You know that like remember the famous 585 00:32:46,360 --> 00:32:48,840 Speaker 1: Who concert in the seventies, where the people were trampled. Yeah, 586 00:32:48,840 --> 00:32:51,800 Speaker 1: that's in that um New York article. They got rid 587 00:32:51,800 --> 00:32:54,440 Speaker 1: of general emission seating after that, Like, why can't they 588 00:32:54,480 --> 00:32:57,240 Speaker 1: do something about this? You know, I think the law 589 00:32:57,280 --> 00:32:59,280 Speaker 1: stepped in and said, wait a minute, you can't just 590 00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:01,800 Speaker 1: open the doors to a concert venue and say first 591 00:33:01,800 --> 00:33:04,640 Speaker 1: one in gets front row. Um, are they still like 592 00:33:04,680 --> 00:33:09,400 Speaker 1: general admission not for big arena shows. Yeah, well you 593 00:33:09,440 --> 00:33:12,800 Speaker 1: know that there was like just one door open and 594 00:33:12,840 --> 00:33:15,920 Speaker 1: like four others locked, and people were getting crushed up 595 00:33:15,920 --> 00:33:18,840 Speaker 1: against the locked doors, and the people inside who are 596 00:33:18,840 --> 00:33:22,040 Speaker 1: working at that concert like just never opened the doors 597 00:33:22,080 --> 00:33:25,400 Speaker 1: even though people were dying. So remember what we cover 598 00:33:25,480 --> 00:33:27,480 Speaker 1: that in Man, it is so like vivid in my 599 00:33:27,520 --> 00:33:31,640 Speaker 1: mind from way early on because we studied the the 600 00:33:31,680 --> 00:33:35,960 Speaker 1: science of crowd surges. I don't know what it was either, 601 00:33:36,040 --> 00:33:38,040 Speaker 1: because this article is not that old. It's just like 602 00:33:38,280 --> 00:33:39,960 Speaker 1: it definitely wasn't about this. I had to do with 603 00:33:40,000 --> 00:33:44,160 Speaker 1: something else. But um, yeah, dirty bad stuff. Or you 604 00:33:44,160 --> 00:33:46,520 Speaker 1: can take another approach, Yeah this is this is a 605 00:33:46,600 --> 00:33:49,440 Speaker 1: different approach, you could say. In the n an artist 606 00:33:49,520 --> 00:33:52,320 Speaker 1: named Ted Dave gave birth to what's now called by 607 00:33:52,400 --> 00:33:56,960 Speaker 1: Nothing Day, wherein people are encouraged to not buy anything 608 00:33:57,040 --> 00:34:00,240 Speaker 1: for twenty four hours and to fight the power and 609 00:34:00,400 --> 00:34:04,840 Speaker 1: consumerism by not showing up at all, and not just 610 00:34:04,920 --> 00:34:07,760 Speaker 1: by the power. The guy who created Ted Ted Dave, 611 00:34:07,840 --> 00:34:11,640 Speaker 1: he's a Vancouver guy who came up within the nineties. Um, 612 00:34:11,680 --> 00:34:14,120 Speaker 1: it was also not just to stick it to the man, 613 00:34:14,200 --> 00:34:17,680 Speaker 1: which I can only imagine if nobody bought anything in 614 00:34:17,719 --> 00:34:21,200 Speaker 1: America on Black Friday, what kind of crippling effect that 615 00:34:21,239 --> 00:34:25,160 Speaker 1: would have on the economy. But he was also saying personally, 616 00:34:25,640 --> 00:34:28,320 Speaker 1: it's that's a good day to not buy anything and 617 00:34:28,600 --> 00:34:33,800 Speaker 1: be take stock of how much you do maybe waste 618 00:34:33,960 --> 00:34:38,359 Speaker 1: or spend or whatever. Just think about your consumer your 619 00:34:38,400 --> 00:34:42,319 Speaker 1: consumerism for one day and during that time, like don't 620 00:34:42,320 --> 00:34:44,920 Speaker 1: buy anything, and don't guess up your car the night before, 621 00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:46,799 Speaker 1: don't get a bunch of milk the night before, Like 622 00:34:46,840 --> 00:34:50,399 Speaker 1: just just be normal on one day of the year, 623 00:34:50,680 --> 00:34:52,960 Speaker 1: don't buy anything and that's buy nothing Day. And it's 624 00:34:53,000 --> 00:34:56,239 Speaker 1: kind of become this big thing ever since Adbusters. The 625 00:34:56,280 --> 00:34:59,239 Speaker 1: people who gave us Occupy Wall Street kind of a 626 00:34:59,440 --> 00:35:01,279 Speaker 1: found out a about it and adopted it and just 627 00:35:01,360 --> 00:35:05,279 Speaker 1: took the whole thing worldwide. It's pretty amazing. It is. 628 00:35:05,320 --> 00:35:07,640 Speaker 1: So if you go to a Black Friday sale and 629 00:35:07,680 --> 00:35:10,239 Speaker 1: you see a bunch of people dressed as zombies. They're 630 00:35:10,280 --> 00:35:13,759 Speaker 1: making fun of you. They're making fun of zombie consumers. 631 00:35:13,880 --> 00:35:16,840 Speaker 1: Same with the people who are dressed as sheep. Yeah. 632 00:35:16,880 --> 00:35:19,160 Speaker 1: And then there's Zenti clause. Maybe I'll do that. Maybe 633 00:35:19,160 --> 00:35:21,520 Speaker 1: I'll dress up as a sheep, yeah and just walk 634 00:35:21,560 --> 00:35:24,400 Speaker 1: around and buy and people's faces and then if in there, 635 00:35:24,520 --> 00:35:27,359 Speaker 1: might you know, pick up a laptop right. Um. There's 636 00:35:27,360 --> 00:35:31,120 Speaker 1: also credit card cut up stations, yeah, yeah, where you 637 00:35:31,120 --> 00:35:34,600 Speaker 1: can get rid of your credit card and just shook consumerism. 638 00:35:35,040 --> 00:35:39,640 Speaker 1: And then there's the my favorite, the what is it, 639 00:35:39,719 --> 00:35:43,799 Speaker 1: the Worldly gig Congo line. Oh I haven't heard of that? 640 00:35:43,880 --> 00:35:47,160 Speaker 1: Is that two disrupt shoppers? Uh, the whole the whole 641 00:35:47,160 --> 00:35:50,200 Speaker 1: point is it just kind of it serve as a mirror. 642 00:35:50,239 --> 00:35:53,120 Speaker 1: I think two people like, look at yourselves. You're ridiculously 643 00:35:53,120 --> 00:35:55,680 Speaker 1: You think I look stupid. You're the one that looks stupid. 644 00:35:56,239 --> 00:35:59,120 Speaker 1: We're not even buying anything. But yeah, so there's it's 645 00:35:59,200 --> 00:36:00,960 Speaker 1: kind of a twofold. It's one like just kind of 646 00:36:00,960 --> 00:36:04,319 Speaker 1: reflecting personally slash sticking it to the man as an 647 00:36:04,320 --> 00:36:07,880 Speaker 1: individual consumer, like realizing your power in the grand scheme 648 00:36:07,920 --> 00:36:11,000 Speaker 1: of things. It's all kind of hinges on you spending 649 00:36:11,000 --> 00:36:13,279 Speaker 1: your money and if you don't, then you're taking the 650 00:36:13,320 --> 00:36:16,680 Speaker 1: power back or pointing out to other people just how 651 00:36:16,800 --> 00:36:20,400 Speaker 1: ridiculous they're being at consumers. As consumers, people probably like, 652 00:36:20,400 --> 00:36:23,560 Speaker 1: where'd you get that cheap costume? Write exactly what was 653 00:36:23,640 --> 00:36:29,840 Speaker 1: that on? Um? So I've got one last thing. Uh 654 00:36:29,880 --> 00:36:31,560 Speaker 1: I noticed the other day. I've never heard of this 655 00:36:31,640 --> 00:36:33,800 Speaker 1: before in China. Do you think we liked the shop? 656 00:36:34,360 --> 00:36:36,799 Speaker 1: Chinese love the shop And they have something that they 657 00:36:36,800 --> 00:36:40,920 Speaker 1: have created called Singles Day and it is on November eleven, 658 00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:45,280 Speaker 1: so eleven eleven. The four ones stand for single people 659 00:36:45,680 --> 00:36:48,040 Speaker 1: and they're basically like, hey, because in China, I think 660 00:36:48,040 --> 00:36:50,800 Speaker 1: you're encouraged to marry, so this is like, hey, be single, 661 00:36:51,440 --> 00:36:54,080 Speaker 1: go out and treat yourself to something online and buy 662 00:36:54,120 --> 00:36:57,720 Speaker 1: something because it's Singles Day and you should celebrate being single. 663 00:36:58,719 --> 00:37:03,040 Speaker 1: And it's a huge deal. They spent uh, well, this 664 00:37:03,120 --> 00:37:05,799 Speaker 1: e commerce platform in China called Ali Baba's the one 665 00:37:05,800 --> 00:37:09,479 Speaker 1: who really got behind it recently, and they spent five 666 00:37:09,520 --> 00:37:12,919 Speaker 1: point seven billion dollars on Singles Day this year, which 667 00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:18,120 Speaker 1: dwarfs Cyber Monday by three times almost and it's the 668 00:37:18,160 --> 00:37:21,040 Speaker 1: biggest online shopping day in the world, and in the 669 00:37:21,080 --> 00:37:24,680 Speaker 1: first six minutes this year, just a couple of weeks ago, 670 00:37:25,400 --> 00:37:27,840 Speaker 1: they spent a hundred and sixty million dollars in the 671 00:37:27,880 --> 00:37:32,680 Speaker 1: first six minutes online in China just to celebrate being 672 00:37:32,719 --> 00:37:35,799 Speaker 1: single and their churches shop for themselves, which I don't think. 673 00:37:35,840 --> 00:37:40,200 Speaker 1: We pointed out a lot of people on Black Friday 674 00:37:40,200 --> 00:37:44,080 Speaker 1: when um when asked, say that they do some of 675 00:37:44,080 --> 00:37:47,080 Speaker 1: the shopping for themselves, not all gifts. It's like, I 676 00:37:47,120 --> 00:37:50,560 Speaker 1: want that laptop. I think forty forty seven percent or 677 00:37:50,600 --> 00:37:52,840 Speaker 1: forty one of people who said they're gonna stop on 678 00:37:52,840 --> 00:37:55,080 Speaker 1: Bike Friday so they'll do most of the shopping for themselves. 679 00:37:55,080 --> 00:37:57,280 Speaker 1: They usually do that. Whenever I go out, like genuinely 680 00:37:57,320 --> 00:37:59,520 Speaker 1: Christmas shopping, I'll pick up something for myself. Were these 681 00:37:59,520 --> 00:38:01,960 Speaker 1: people were saying they're mostly shopping for themselves. Now I 682 00:38:01,960 --> 00:38:06,719 Speaker 1: don't mostly, but I'll just I'll just treat myself. And 683 00:38:06,760 --> 00:38:09,200 Speaker 1: I want to say, Chuck, we're not. We don't begrudge 684 00:38:09,200 --> 00:38:11,719 Speaker 1: anybody going to Black Friday sales. If that's your thing, 685 00:38:12,520 --> 00:38:15,319 Speaker 1: enjoy it, that's fine. Just act like a human being. Yeah, 686 00:38:15,400 --> 00:38:18,880 Speaker 1: don't take anyone's life no, don't trample over somebody who's 687 00:38:18,920 --> 00:38:23,239 Speaker 1: fallen down. Uh. And most importantly, I have a very 688 00:38:23,320 --> 00:38:27,200 Speaker 1: nice Thanksgiving. Enjoy the people you're with, whether they're friends, family, 689 00:38:28,160 --> 00:38:32,200 Speaker 1: old acquaintances, new acquaintances. Take some time to really enjoy 690 00:38:32,280 --> 00:38:36,800 Speaker 1: this Thanksgiving day and relax and and just be I agree, 691 00:38:36,880 --> 00:38:40,600 Speaker 1: my friend, it's Thanksgiving. Be with your family, turn off 692 00:38:40,600 --> 00:38:44,200 Speaker 1: your smartphone, maybe even wow, really get crazy and just 693 00:38:44,239 --> 00:38:47,000 Speaker 1: be in the moment. Yeah, how about that? Um, And 694 00:38:47,520 --> 00:38:50,400 Speaker 1: we give you permission to shout down anybody who says 695 00:38:50,480 --> 00:38:53,960 Speaker 1: that trip to fan is what makes you sleepy. That's 696 00:38:54,040 --> 00:38:55,759 Speaker 1: right to you. Go ahead and set them straight. Yep. 697 00:38:55,880 --> 00:38:58,439 Speaker 1: So happy Happy Turkey Day, Americans and uh and other 698 00:38:58,440 --> 00:39:00,719 Speaker 1: parts of the world. Whatever you're doing, I hope you're 699 00:39:00,719 --> 00:39:04,200 Speaker 1: will Yeah, nice, Chuck and Chuck. We should say that 700 00:39:04,480 --> 00:39:08,400 Speaker 1: as usual. If everyone wants to send us happy Thanksgiving wishes, 701 00:39:08,760 --> 00:39:11,919 Speaker 1: they can tweet to us at s Y s K podcast. UM. 702 00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:14,280 Speaker 1: They can join us on Facebook dot com slash stuff. 703 00:39:14,280 --> 00:39:16,600 Speaker 1: You should know you can, um and if you want 704 00:39:16,640 --> 00:39:18,560 Speaker 1: to know more about Black Friday, you can go to 705 00:39:18,560 --> 00:39:20,719 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com. I think there's like a 706 00:39:20,840 --> 00:39:25,760 Speaker 1: ten worst moments in Black Friday history. An article up there. Um, 707 00:39:25,800 --> 00:39:28,200 Speaker 1: you can send us an email directly to Stuff Podcast 708 00:39:28,239 --> 00:39:30,839 Speaker 1: at Discovery dot com, and as always, you can join 709 00:39:30,920 --> 00:39:33,880 Speaker 1: us at our very festive and thankful home on the web, 710 00:39:34,480 --> 00:39:41,920 Speaker 1: Stuff you Should Know dot com for more on this 711 00:39:42,080 --> 00:39:44,600 Speaker 1: and thousands of other topics. Does it How stuff works 712 00:39:44,600 --> 00:39:54,880 Speaker 1: dot com Brought to you by the all new Toyota 713 00:39:54,960 --> 00:39:55,360 Speaker 1: Corolla