When Black Friday turns RED

How many are waiting to rush inside?

Black Friday is the one day of the year that the CRAZY comes out in high doses. It is when throngs of people line up to find cheaply discounted products.Like detectives, the Black Friday enthusiast has scoured the internet and newspaper sales ads comparing the items and pricing.  They brace the coldness for hours, some camping out in tents on cold concrete in the dead of winter - it is a training exercise in survival.

For some of us though, Black Friday is when we see RED.

Imagine it: A long line is wrapped around the department store, and for the last two hours, you've been checking your watch and rubbing your hands together to keep warm. The time has slowly ticked down, and the coldness has risen up your legs. You do a little dance to warm up some, watching your breath materialize before you as you inhale and exhale, mentally checking your list and reviewing your plan. You bend over and re-tie your shoes, making sure the laces are tight and cannot come loose. Then stretching, you ease your muscles, preparing them for the race of the year.

Nothing is going to cut you off or distract you.

A glimpse of a worker nearing the door distracts you. You edge ever closer toward the entrance, hoping that that one inch will be the difference between accomplishing your goal of leaving empty handed. Is someone about to open the doors? Is it almost time?

With the turning of the key, the mad dash begins.

The huge crowd enters the building like a herd of steer being driven forward with whips and cattle calls. You pause to grab a cart and squint at the bright lights and then speed off towards the electronic's department, where for the hundreds present, they only have five of the Super Black Friday Door Busting Extravaganza Once in A Lifetime Really Once In  A Year Basement Pricing televisions - the television you want. There, you see the last one on the shelf and reach for it, just as the someone else does the same thing. There are no rain checks, and quantities are limited. You tug, as does she. There is no politeness or questions. You tug harder, digging in your heels.

Although many would say that Black Friday is based on when companies show an amazing profit, it is also when the normal nice man or woman will turn hostile and literally bite, kick, scream, punch and  trample someone to get the items on their holiday shopping lists. Blood spills the aisle and once again, the humanity that was gained only hours before is washed away by basement pricing. Crazy? Maybe. It is when we lose our sanity and the reality around us that life will still go on, even if we are unable to buy that 50 inch LED television for $80.

Suddenly, with a strength you didn't know you had, you rip the television from the woman's hands  and moving away from your cart, race to the checkout to pay, leaving her screaming and yelling profanities after you. It doesn't matter. It is Black Friday, when crazy is normal.

This year, as this holiday season is upon us, I wish you much success, but even more that you keep your sanity, politeness and humanity. For, the deals you missed on Black Friday may be mooted by Cyber Monday.

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About Tina Glasneck:

 I am the author of THOU SHALL NOT. I love creating three dimensional characters and am always looking for new people to kill…in my stories.

Checkout my author's  blog at TinaGlasneck.com and my book is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. You can also connect with me on Facebook and on Twitter.

"[THOU SHALL NOT is] suspense at its best!" Amazon reader review.