Black Friday means a lot of things to a lot of different people. For some, it’s a chance to forego all civility and act upon baser animal instinct as if living out a scene from The Purge or South Park in order to own the latest hit item at a fraction of the cost. For others, including myself, it’s a wondrous day where hours are entertained by driving around and gawking at the massive amounts of people willing to brave the elements and go concrete camping for a shot at their pick of the retail litter. Still, for most, it’s a day where those got-to-have items that might have been a tad too expensive earlier in the year can finally be purchased without breaking the bank. No matter the reason for the season it’s an undeniable constant that Black Friday is a day that the whole country lives for, and with it being over until 2016 it’s time to recant the top 10 stories from Black Friday 2015 (in no particular order).
1. Black Friday Breaks Record with 185K Gun Background Checks
To start with, here is an interesting article with some harrowing statistics on the amount of attempted firearm purchases that were made which come in the wake of multiple mass shooting incidents. “The National Instant Criminal Background Check System processed 185,345 requests on Nov. 27, one of the largest retail sales days in the country.” Read More
2. Cards Against Humanity Sells Nothing on Black Friday, Makes $71,000, Spends It Immediately
In a move that can only be described as hilarious and completely in line with the culture of Cards Against Humanity, the company collected $5 from customers in exchange for absolutely nothing and distributed the gross sum among its employees to spend on whatever they wanted. See what they bought here!
3. Black Friday 2015: Crazy Shopping Fights Nationwide, but What About N.J.?
What would Black Friday be without all the standard brawls and beatdowns over cheap electronics?
Who’s in for the Black Friday pool? Which state will have the first Black Friday shopper fight? I’m betting New Jersey.
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) November 27, 2015
Need I say more? Read more here.
4. Black Friday 2015 Rioting: A Roundup of the Chaos, Fighting, Pushing and Shoving from America’s Malls
Okay, that last link was pretty fun so lets keep the chaos ball rolling with another video collection of Black Friday madness!
5. Amazon Dominated 36% of Online Black Friday Sales, Says Slice
Shocking! /s. As anyone with any sense could probably guess, Amazon is still the online retail king and never more so than on Black Friday (…well except maybe Cyber Monday). This article gets into some pretty cool numbers concerning Amazon’s success as well as that of other retail giants. Check out more here
6. Black Friday Winners And Losers: How Amazon, Walmart, Apple And More Fared
Continuing in the same vein, here are some statistics from a different market research group detailing the amounts of money Americans spend on the most gluttonous of holidays.
7. 3 Lessons Investors Can Learn from Black Friday Shoppers
Let’s just summarize here. “We encourage investors to start early, buy low and have the discipline to stay the course with their financial plans.” Want more details? Here you go.
8. How Data Helped a Little-Known Brand Get a Black Friday Promo at Target
Custom research by NPD Group suggesting that retailers move more memory cards through the bundling than by letting shoppers grab cameras and cards separately helped a small company wedge it’s way to a big payoff and into new deals with Amazon. Check it.
9. Cyber Monday Breaks Record, But It’s Not Really A Thing Anymore
Different but the same. This article reminisces over the marketing gimmick of Cyber Monday by making pragmatic points comparing it to Black Friday and the rise of internet retail in general. Read more
10. ‘The Madness of the Crowds': The Psychology Behind Black Friday
Get an inside look at the things that make us so crazy for the giant retail holiday. From family tradition to our competitive nature there are a number of reasons for the hysteria. Read more