There were plenty of lines to stand in, bargains to be had and people to shove/wrestle/punch out at Black Friday events this year, although the Canadian experience was much more calm, when compared to the frenzies in the U.S.
Canadian shopping centres were flooded with bargain hunters on Friday, but most of them patiently stood in line and went about their business peaceably when the stores opened.
In downtown Toronto, for instance, the popular CF Toronto Eaton Centre looked as busy as the day before Christmas, although there were no stampedes as stores opened for the day. At the mall's Best Buy, shoppers calmly filed in once the store opened, and were greeted by friendly employees handing out flyers. The shoppers didn't dash in, and there were no fights for deals.
Best Buy shoppers were not quite so pleasant online. The company's Canadian website was crippled by technical problems overnight, prompting many to slam the company on Twitter, or tweet photos of themselves shopping online at Best Buy's competitors. Many pointed out that Best Buy, which runs a tech-support service called Geek Squad, could have used some Geek Squad help to keep their site operational.
Best Buy acknowledged their website problem 15 minutes after midnight, with a post on their page citing an "issue" that was under investigation. The company posted again shortly before 3 a.m., saying the issue had been resolved for most customers.
In the United States, many clichés about American consumerism came true. For instance, in Kentucky, two men started brawling in the middle of a crowded mall, prompting several people to step in and break them up.
WORRRRLDSTAAAAAR pic.twitter.com/SEuGy40nwR
— yung wifi (@DaddyWeaknd) November 27, 2015
Video from a Wal-Mart in El Paso, Texas, shows shoppers in a frenzy on Thursday night, swarming a display stand for discounted TVs. In the video, two women can be seen wrestling over one TV, only to be interrupted by a man who comes in and wrenches it away from both of them. A security guard soon steps in.
Black Friday for you smh...all that for a tv. El Paso, TX
Posted by LuLee Love on Thursday, November 26, 2015
More footage from the El Paso Wal-Mart shows a man taking a swing at a security guard who tried to keep him at bay.
In New York, a video posted on Twitter shows a small army of Target employees getting their game faces on before the store opens. One employee can be seen walking back and forth, giving a pep talk to rally his troops before the day begins. "Who's got this?" he asks. "We got this!" the employees call back.
Who's got this? We got this.....#ThankYOUteam #BlackFridayisON @kenfiggs @t1douglas pic.twitter.com/lpD289hC19
— Niki Tonnessen (@nikitee94) November 26, 2015
It was a completely different scene in the United Kingdom Friday morning. Many stores opened as early as 5 a.m., but there were no hordes of bargain-hungry shoppers waiting to burst in the moment the doors unlocked. Instead, most streets were quiet, with more reporters present than shoppers in some places. The reporters were there to report on the crowds, but oftentimes there were no crowds to speak of.
Unbelievable scenes here on #BlackFriday in Sheffield. pic.twitter.com/zs1dxGDsHP
— Tim Arnold. (@Tim_Arnold1977) November 27, 2015
Of the 10 cars in this bit of the MetroCentre, three belong to the media. It's early yet. #BlackFriday pic.twitter.com/GOD6V5s1je
— Tom Wilkinson (@tommywilkinson) November 27, 2015
This is madness. #blackfriday pic.twitter.com/c4ZuIJYdQD
— Ryan Hooper (@RyanJHooper) November 27, 2015
With Brits largely uninterested in trampling each other for deals, some retailers took a more laid-back approach to their sales. More than 100 bookstores in the U.K. decided to offer a calmer alternative to the craziness of Black Friday, with plans in place to hold a "Civilized Saturday" at book retailers throughout the country. Shoppers are invited to meet great people, pick up a great book and conduct themselves in a civilized manner at participating stores.
It's #CivilisedSaturday next week! Find the perfect Christmas gifts for your loved ones at your local bookshop. pic.twitter.com/QTYeMC2AXH
— booksaremybag (@booksaremybag) November 19, 2015
Fight through the crowds on #BlackFriday or visit your library on #CivilisedSaturday https://t.co/MOvha0G1VF pic.twitter.com/cFbsgG2H2I
— CILIP (@CILIPinfo) November 27, 2015
Forget #BlackFriday, enjoy a #CivilisedSaturday in your local bookshop instead! (Image via @QuercusBooks) pic.twitter.com/fyIg1mCJfX
— Gutter Bookshop (@gutterbookshop) November 26, 2015
British retail experts predict much of the country's Black Friday shopping is happening online, with an estimated $2 billion in sales expected to occur this year.
No one was killed last year during Black Friday events in Canada or the U.S. However, there have been occasional trampling deaths, stabbings and shootings in years' past, mostly in the United States.
There are typically a few injuries and arrests each year during Black Friday sales.