Black Friday is one of those unofficial holiday traditions that people love, hate, hate to love, and love to hate. Nobody really wants to stand in line for hours on end. Nobody really wants to wake up before dawn or forego sleep entirely to camp out in front of stores. Then again, Black Friday deals are the only way many people can afford the sorts of things that are on sale. It started with incredible sales at stores, then the stores started opening earlier and earlier, some even open on Thanksgiving day.
Starting Black Friday sales earlier and earlier lead to utter chaos this year since many items were sold out before Black Friday even started.
Ummm... media1.giphy.com
Yup, you read that correctly. Several large stores sold out of their Black Friday deals before Friday even happened. Game systems were, as always, a popular item. Target and Gamestop sold out of the Nintendo Switch before Thanksgiving Day was over. Target also sold out of the PS4, but don't hate on them too much. Wal-Mart, and Gamestop sold out of them, too. Don't bother checking Target or Wal-Mart for an Instant Pot. Those sold out before Friday as well.
Crowds were understandably annoyed that they waited in line and wandered through this year's Wal-Mart Maze (more on that later) only to find out that the major items they came for were never even there because they had sold out before Friday. Why call it Black Friday sales if you're not going to sell them on Black Friday?
Frustrated shoppers vented on Twitter.
Well, I went to buy the #NintendoSwitch from @GameStop (Switch plus Mario Cart plus $50 gift card) at midnight last… https://t.co/ndGDGBMSqC— John Raizor (@John Raizor) 1542892710.0
wow i’m literally waiting in walmart for a new phone and they are almost sold out so i’m hoping we get one. i never… https://t.co/cp4j6L19Pd— imogen (@imogen) 1542937727.0
Lol they sold out of PS4’s in 20 mins after opening at 5pm today and it’s not even Black Friday https://t.co/L6Bu5wI1zq— Don Jon (@Don Jon) 1542943082.0
@AldiUK wud be great if black friday offers were actually available on black friday !!— leigh evans (@leigh evans) 1543052095.0
In order to try and curb some of the expected chaos, many Wal-Mart stores changed their layouts with color coordinated maps and funneled customers through towards registers. Redesigning the entire store so regular shoppers now had no idea where anything was proved to be a controversial choice. Not only were layouts changed, some aisles were capped off completely and it left people trapped in place with no idea that the items they came for were long gone. The maze included arrows on the floors and swirling lines. It was like if Disney and Ikea had a terrible baby.
Again - Twitter was NOT happy.
#1 Crap Award:) “Wow Walmart really blocked most aisles creating a maze and exacerbating the capitalist craziness,… https://t.co/fwvesBqgoE— MedicalQuack (@MedicalQuack) 1542997379.0
@mpaschke13 It would be better if they were more organized. We’re waiting until after the big sale is over with— Hannah Nichole (@Hannah Nichole) 1542932445.0
@Walmart Went to my local store last night to shop the Black Friday Ads. What a freaking unorganized mess. Whoever… https://t.co/NPXWiFM9je— Tommy (@Tommy) 1542980768.0
#Walmart was insane tonight. 2 fist fights employee hit with a rack all over a tv. That was all while trying to get… https://t.co/IiEwnXmIsr— stephen pollock (@stephen pollock) 1542935981.0
I just went to Walmart like some nut to look at Christmas decorations they wouldn’t let people go down certain aisl… https://t.co/Eg41FNhzgs— JANICE COMBS (@JANICE COMBS) 1542928787.0
Live from Walmart herding cattle I suppose https://t.co/EU5M0dEDSN— Slade (@Slade) 1542928462.0
Wow Walmart really blocked most aisles creating a maze and exacerbating the capitalist craziness— 👁 (@👁) 1542932702.0
@BillyTolley Me and my family were in Walmart yesterday to just only get groceries and they had the isles closed of… https://t.co/XUTjyJD6Vg— Ashley (@Ashley) 1543004708.0
Are you a Black Friday shopper or does the whole thing just strike you as unnecessary? Did any of the early sell-outs change your holiday plans? If you braved your local Wal-Mart and came face to face with the maze, we want to hear about your experience with it. Sound off in the comments!
H/T: Business Insider, Twitter
People who've had bad encounters with someone they've never met shared their experiences when Redditor Jemuzu8304 asked:
"Whats the most f'ked up thing a complete stranger has done to you?"
Drivers and passengers recall their rude interactions.
The Prank
"One time I was in south Philly and a car pulled up with two guys in it. They called out to me asking for directions so I walked over. As I was explaining where to go the dude in the passenger seat spit in my face and they sped off."
– the_humbL_lion
Willing Victim
"You just reminded me of a similarly gross interaction:"
"Years ago after a doctor's appointment, I got into my car and turned it on, at which point a small child started leaning/sitting on the hood. His heavily pregnant mother stood by doing nothing, apparently distracted by her phone. I rolled down my window, and asked if she would mind getting her child off of my car, as I needed to leave, and was concerned he could get hurt."
"She asked if I had insurance. Confused, I answered '...yes?', to which she said 'Well I hope you DO hit him so I can get some MONEY!' She proceeded to lean in through my passenger window, and started spitting on me. The kid was no longer on my car, and I desperately wanted to get away from her, so I put my car in reverse. She then hurled her pregnant belly into my sideview mirror, and shrieked in such an exaggerated way, as if I had hit her."
"I eventually found a new doctor."
– TheHaydnPorter
Unwanted Car Wash
"Stopped at a red light one time. Someone from a building adjacent to the light threw a bag of ice and water on my car, from a few stories up. Dented the roof and shattered the windshield."
"Wasn't even a nice car, I was driving a Dodge neon sh*tbox."
– IAmPandaKerman
You never know the capabilities of strangers you encounter.
The Violent Thief
"I got held up at gun point 2 weeks ago in philly 10 feet from the door to my friends apartment. They stole both our watches. My watch was given to me by my dead uncle. https://imgur.com/a/V59aebW"
– xcpain93
Hit By A Hard Object
"Reminds me of something. Some a**hole tossed a lock, like the combination type out of a car at me and hit me in the knee. I had trouble walking correctly for damn near a month."
"I always thought if they'd have stopped at a light I'd have hurled that b*tch right back."
"Good thing they didn't. I wasn't in any condition for a fight."
– Ok_Relationship_705
Moving Targets
"I also have a drive-by experience but it was with a f'king paintball gun. My friend and I were in freshmen year, just walking to the park to play some ball and with no warning he suddenly recoils and shouts in pain. I had no clue what happened. He reaches at his back and when he turns around I see a bright red paint splat on his white shirt. I look up and see the car that just passed us turns around, pulls up next to us with the kid in the passenger seat hanging the gun out window saying 'Sorry bro, I’m just so surgical with this thing,' and speeds off. Pretty hilarious story in hindsight within our friend group now, but at the time we were pissed. Luckily we got their plates and the cops showed up at their house and they got in trouble. F'kers."
– zakxk
Wrong Target
"I was about 11 and me and some friends were standing on a small bridge over a lake. All of a sudden I was picked up and thrown over the railing into the lake below. I tried to grab onto anything I could as I fell and scrapped my arms up pretty good. I still have scars 30 years later. So I swim to the side and some older kid comes up to me and just say - sorry, I thought you were someone else."
– discostud1515
Attacks happen when you least expect it.
Random Attack
"Punched me, for no reason. I was standing. Waiting for the community bus. A stranger got out of the car and punched me. I filed the Police report but nothing happen."
– Hallo-Mapskollegen
Hitting The Elderly
"My grandmother was at the movies and a guy walking up the aisle punched her in the side of the head. He told the cops he was mad because he was on a bad blind date."
"Like...great excuse to wallop a 75-year-old woman minding her own business."
– BarracudaImpossible4
The Ferrari Guys
"Had a similar thing happen when I was in Downtown Los Angeles. I was crossing the street and just came up onto the sidewalk. Some dude in a Ferrari steps out of the car, walks up to me and tries to swing on me in broad daylight. I sidestepped this dude, and he then spun to try to hit me again, calling me a motherf**ker and not to dodge. I caught him with a nut shot with my foot and doubled him over."
"His buddy hops out of the car, and another of his buddies (I assume) gets up from the side of the sidewalk and both are yelling at me, and I'm like, 'ah, f'k, I'm not ready for this.'"
"These absolute legends who had been watching all this sh*t go down just appear out of nowhere and jump these guys for me. Like, six different people from out of the woodwork. Nutshot and Scrub (Ferrari guys) hop in the car and just take off, scraping the car and taking the right side view mirror off. Their (assumedly) other homeboy gets left behind, but he tries to stumblef'k his a** away after having taken a couple of hits to the head. One of the guys who helped me jogs up and punts this dude in the side right after he falls over, doubling him up. Meanwhile, everybody else is checking on me and making sure I'm good."
"Cops show up, detain us, figure out what's going on, let us go, and arrest homie that couldn't get away. Come to find out, these guys have been doing this for weeks, and the people who helped me were local residents who had been on the lookout for Nutshot. Arrested homie later squealed, and all the guys involved got a couple of years for aggravated assault."
– feronen
My bad interactions with strangers were all random but definitely premeditated assaults.
I was mugged twice in New York City while I was typically minding my own business.
Also, while I was in Barcelona, I had a team of youths pick-pocket me and run off with my wallet containing my passport and credit cards. Fortunately, the friend I was with saw what happened and ran off after them. She sucker-punched the young lady who had my wallet, causing her to drop it.
Be careful out there, folks!
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And You Thought Sharks Were Dangerous...
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Frightening People For Generations!
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"The sun was about the size of a basketball, and the earth was on the opposite side of the room, the size of a small marble, I'd guess about 30 metres away."
"The moon was the size of a tiny pinhead, about 10cm away from the earth."
"On this scale, the nearest star to earth, Proxima Centauri, wouldn't be in the same building, or even in the same city."
"It would be 10,000km away."
"And that's just one star, the nearest one to us, in a galaxy containing billions of stars, which is just one of billions of galaxies."
"The scale of the universe really is mind bogglingly big."
"Far bigger than we can begin to comprehend."- Qabbalah
Zero Points To The Lost World For Authenticity...
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stegosaurus GIFGiphyFrom Bad To Worse?
"After the British made head protection mandatory in WW1, the amount of head wounds increased."
"It's due to they were no longer KIA, but 'only' a head wound."- WouldUKindlyDMBoobs
Sarah Palin Can Confirm...
"USA is only 2.4 miles from Russia."
"2 islands in the Bering Strait, the body of water in the Pacific Ocean that separates Alaska from Russia, are 2.4 miles from each other at the narrowest point; one island is owned by Russia, the other is owned by USA."- Qabbalah
But Where Did "Ginger" Come From?
"In English, the color orange was named after the fruit."
"Before that, orange was just considered a shade of red."
"That's why gingers are called redheads."- I_might_be_weasel
redhead wink GIF by KobieGiphyAt Least We Can Be Sure He Didn't Lie About It
"George Washington didn’t know dinosaurs existed."- Silver34
But What Did They Want To Do With Those Cobras?
"New Delhi hired people to hunt cobra snakes which led to people having Cobra Farms to earn money, then the government stopped the project which led the Cobra Farmers to release their snakes, causing twice as many snakes than they first started."- cathabit
The Truth Lies Between The Lines...
"Barcode scanners scan the white lines, not the black ones."- the_blast_radius
Scream Bar Code GIF by joelremygifGiphyBut Does It Make It Easier To Avoid?
"Wombat poo is cube shaped, to stop it rolling away."
Perception Can Be Dangerously Misleading
"The Oxford University in England existed centuries before the rise and fall of the Aztec civilization."- RefrigeratorStatus96
"Time Is The Longest Distance Between Two Places..."
"A million seconds is 12 days."
"A billion seconds is 31 years. "
"A trillion seconds is 31,688 years."
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