Friday, November 28, 2014

Exporting Black Friday

I was not surprised to see a report on Black Friday on today's BBC World Service Television news. What surprised me was that the video of bargain-crazed shoppers assaulting each other over getting the best possible deals was shot in the United Kingdom. Here is the print version of what accompanied the video:
Police have been called to supermarkets across the UK amid crowd surges as people hunt for "Black Friday" offers.
Greater Manchester Police appealed for calm after attending seven Tesco shops, at which three men were arrested and a woman was hit by a falling television.
The force said the issues were "totally predictable" and it was "disappointed" by shop security.
Tesco said only a "small number" of stores were affected. Police were called in places including Dundee, Glasgow, Cardiff and London.
Apparently, Black Friday is no longer strictly associated with Thanksgiving, although it is a bit amusing that the Brits should hold it on a day determined by an American holiday (celebrating people who left Britain to avoid persecution).

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