So, like every other Black Friday-- my sisters and I, along with my mom, venture out at midnight Thursday and head to Walmart to try to make sure we get there early enough for the best deals. Walmart matches prices and you don't have to wait outside in the cold all night so you really can't beat our system. Every year I always get caught up in items I don't need but get caught up in the rush of wanting because I get there early enough but this year was different I had a Leapster in mind this year-- an item worth $50 was on sale for $30 so as you can see I need this item. I was the first one at the little kiosky thing that held the Leapster and since I was first I decided I would shop around and keep my eye on them. Around 1am a teenage girl was assigned by her mom to plant herself by them and get one for her niece so I decided it was time to join her-- didn't want to have any issues. Throughout the night people slowly joined us and we all became friendly and were planning how we would make sure we were all going to get one. Around 3:30am it was apparent that this item was going to be tough to get for those late arrivers and by 4am you were nearing the impossible-- all the while I am in the perfect position for one. By 4:15 my blood is starting to get going as there were about 50 of us for exactly 30 leapsters-- and many of the people were wanting more then one. The girl who arrived just after me was a former student of mine and we had been really trying to angle ourselves that we could get ours and run but it was going to be tough. About ten to 5 (5 being the time the sale officially begins) there were even more people and I was thinking this is going to get ugly. You could just see it in the people that were just arriving that they weren't going to be stopped by a bunch of people in front of them. About 5 to I look over and see that the other kiosks had started the frenzy so all the sudden the race was on-- I instantly grabbed two (one for a lady that had been there early and should have gotten one but had been boxed out by the pushy latecomers) I turn around to get out of there holding onto them for dear life-- people are grabbing at them trying to take them right out of my hand with no success. However, I am pinned in due to the dog pile that had started-- the outside latecomers had jumped on the kiosk landing on it and those of us near the front-- I am screaming "my leg, my leg!-- help!" I look over and my former student is at the bottom of the dog pile holding onto her leapster as some older lady was grabbing at her leapster--I free my leg and turn to help her pulling the lady away as she is screaming at me-- (I am still clutching onto mine for dear life). After the mayhem is now over (approximately 30 seconds maybe) I help the girl up and she is bleeding--her face has been clawed and blood is dripping. I am speechless! I have to say this is what you see on the tv-- you hear about this kind of crazy stuff but in all our years of this shopping tradition I have never experienced it firsthand. It was the biggest rush I have ever found and to think it was done shopping! People are CRAZY! This years experience sure beats the Shopvac experience last year where I was one of 5 people waiting for 20 shopvacs-- they were still there at like 3 later that afternoon!*I do need to say that even though I kind of saw that coming I truly felt that Walmart sort of perpetuates that brawl. They kept telling everyone to back up from the items which was making it easier for the latecomers to squeeze their way into better position and give them more incentive to rumble. I have to think that had I broken my leg in that dog pile I would have had claim to some sort of lawsuit due to Walmarts system. It really should be first come first serve or it becomes a blood bath! Yes a scratched bloody face today, who knows next time it is more serious! (And all of this to save a crappy 20 bucks!) Merry Christmas Chase!
