Holiday deals can be acquired in safer ways
After a Friday, and even a Thursday night, filled with stories of numerous injuries caused by the biggest and most hyped-up shopping event of the year, a day of inactivity in stores is much needed. People are finally beginning to couple their love of the Internet and their displeasure with fighting over cheap merchandise, and giving up Black Friday for Cyber Monday, a safer way to find holiday deals.
Cyber Monday, a day in which shoppers need not engage in the apocalyptic hysteria of Black Friday, has seen an increase in popularity as Americans spent nearly $1.5 billion, a 20-percent increase from what they spent last year, according to research firm comScore.
The violence seen as a result of Black Friday remained rampant this year, as numerous reports of impetuous and vicious disputes plagued stores nationwide. Instances included a man and woman being shot in a Walmart parking lot in Tallahassee, Fla., over an argument involving a parking space. Other cases included a masked gunman in Aurora, Colo., firing a round into the ceiling of a Target pharmacy before fleeing the store.
However, because of the growing popularity of Cyber Monday, the frenzy of Black Friday has decreased substantially, as no fatalities were reported nationwide this year, an improvement from previous years. We can only hope shoppers will continue to realize that the lunacy Black Friday brings is not worth the stuff they acquire in the process, and that Cyber Monday is a much better alternative to finding good sales.