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Anticipated Black Friday 'Chaos' Is Less Chaotic In The UK

Anticipated Black Friday 'Chaos' Is Less Chaotic In The UK

People in the US are seen every year trampling over each other, yet it's a very different scene on this side of the Atlantic

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

Every year, after America celebrates Thanksgiving, the world collectively watches one of the world's biggest countries descend into a Purge-like craze where people would seemingly trample over their nan just to get their hands on a good deal. So how did it fare in the UK this year? The video below should give you an idea:

Credit: Twitter/Frankie McCamley/BBC

With it still dark outside, customer Marcel was the only person to walk into the electronics store when the doors opened. There were more photographers than customers present, who were obviously hoping to get an awesome picture of hordes of people clawing at each other for an iPhone or earphones.

This particular shopper apparently was there to pick up his pre-ordered laptop - so it wasn't even as if he was rushing down in case the store sold out.

It's in stark contrast to the scenes regularly documented in the US which mark the busiest shopping day of the year, every year since 2005. Most western countries would probably list the day or two before Christmas as the busiest, but when you fuse low deals with competitiveness, it can clearly get the blood pumping.

via GIPHY

Since 2006, seven people have died and close to 100 injured across the US during the Black Friday sales. People also spend days camping outside retailers like Walmart, Best Buy or Target in order to get a close to the goods as possible. When the doors finally open, there's a massive crush of people and all-out war begins.

While it's been an annual tradition for the US since the early 1950s, the Black Friday sales of the last few years have brought with it a senselessness that is nothing short of outrageous.

via GIPHY

In much the same way that the American hype of Halloween has spread to other western countries, retailers have since begun to promote Black Friday in places like the UK and Australia. Previous years have seen punch-ups over discounted TVs and brawls in shopping centres, but it doesn't look like the chaos has reached the same level this year.

In the UK, the term Black Friday was originally used by emergency service workers and referred to the Friday before Christmas, because that's when they usually see an increased workload. Retailers around Britain have tried to provoke the same levels of popularity the event inspires across the Atlantic, but it seems that people aren't really that fazed.

Because these massive stores have their sales online, it makes more sense to pick up a deal on the internet, rather than wake up early to be the first one through the doors.

Featured Image Credit: South Park

Topics: UK News, News