Black Friday Shopping Safety?

My Black Friday advice is skip the malls and stores. Instead of fighting the crowds to maybe save a little money I go to a Christmas tree farm that I’ve been going to for 13 years to cut our Christmas tree. It’s a wonderful tradition.

5 Likes

Sounds like some great advise!!

4 Likes

Ok, @MikeBKY you and I can definitely be good friends… the Tito’s on the right is about the only vodka I can drink (allergies and all). The nice thing is that its really quite lovely :blush:

3 Likes

I don’t drink anymore, but I’ve never heard of Tito’s!

Ya’ll going to make me give up my sobriety to try a little. :rofl::rofl::rofl:

3 Likes

shop online for any deals I really want, and then go support the local gun shop :stuck_out_tongue:

5 Likes

SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN

4 Likes

Absolutely! Wild Turkey is not typically in my liquor cabinet but Tito’s is always there. It is much better than all the mainstream brands, even the premiums. Usually we keep Woodford, Makers and Bulleit bourbons, being in Kentucky an all. Now for tequila, it’s Patron Reposado.

All for cooking or medicinal purposes, of course!

4 Likes

mom always said if it is not good enough to drink it is not good enough to cook with. this went for beer in chilli and boiling brats to wine and other booza as well.

5 Likes

I agree. Those silly grocery store bottles of cooking wine are smaller bottles of vinegar. We always cook with stuff we do or would drink.

3 Likes

@Zee

WHAT!?!?!?!?
You dont get those already?!?!?!?!? Let me help you out, I’ll get you added to all the ones I get starting the week AFTER black Friday.

I mean, what are friends for right!

4 Likes

Two years ago, a family member was knocked down at the Galleria mall in St Louis by a group of “Black Lives Matter” members protesting at the mall. The protesters didn’t realize there were cops all over the place, and a group of them got arrested. I might, might, go to Rural King in Black Friday. Might.

3 Likes

Don’t. Just don’t. Black Friday brings out all the Adam-Henrys and the road ragers and the Jay-Dees. I could say more but it would just get deleted. So anyway, I just stay home and listen to the police scanner and it’s almost as much fun as being there and getting assaulted in person.

3 Likes

It’s a darn shame good people can’t go to malls shopping or to movies or any purpose they want to go to a mall. Any reason or no reason. But exclusion is a sign of our times. Your big retailers in some cases already gone. Mall space is a premium price by square foot. Amazon.com is beating everyone’s price structure. I know your Cabelas and your Bass Pro but those are separate and not able to cut through them to allow you access to another store. Rural King isn’t everywhere but it is in some of states. My point, nobody should have to worry about personal safety.

3 Likes

^^^ :laughing:

4 Likes

Anytime I shop black friday, I do it a few hours after the chaos, maybe find the one thing I was thinking about, and maybe, just maybe, I’ll buy something.

4 Likes

I heard today on the radio, that 12% of the items purchased on Black Friday will be MORE expensive than on a regular shopping day. Nope, I’ll just go to work.

3 Likes

Safety tip number 1 - Don’t go! Nothing good happens after midnight. EVERY year we are presented a dozen social media videos of fights over trinkets.

I did black Friday twice, the first time was meh, the second time I went to just be with some family and some obnoxious person was threatening myself and my brother in law. She said we cut in line, but we did not. I thought to myself, I am saving 10% at best on this trinket. I’m tired, everyone else is tired. At least half the people here are drunk. I’d rather be home sleeping.

Problem solved.

My advice would be don’t go.

But people will make their own decision and sometimes we are forced to go places we normally wouldn’t (although this scenario is totally voluntary). So the following are general safety tips I provide to my students.

Awareness. Always be aware of your surroundings. Do not become task fixated on something and closed off to what’s going on around you. Look at people. Look at their faces Look at their yes. The eyes are a window to the soul. You will know their intentions. Also in doing so, you will realize how many potential victims are completely unaware around you, don’t be like the herd.

For those whom carry purses, keep the purse slung across your body, not just over one shoulder. It will make it very difficult for a thief to just grab the bag and keep on going. You might get knocked down, but they’ll probably go for someone else if they’ve had any experience trying to snatch and run with someones purse before. Remember criminals aren’t dumb. Many of them are good at their job, and crime is their job. They will usually go after the softest target, the weakest target. Don’t be like the herd.

Body Language speaks volumes. Don’t look, don’t act like a victim. Carry yourself with confidence. Stand tall. Smile but be firm. Don’t be like the herd (seeing a trend here?)

If confronted with a self defense situation, I present my students with the 5 rules of self defense, The 5 Rules of Self Defense

5 Likes

I’m not going to get in a fight over the last item on shelf, ain’t worth it. To me, that means I wasn’t meant to get it. Even in that confusion and chaos, I try to treat people with kindness, if the get rude and obnoxious, I just smile and say have a nice day. Then walk away watching them out of the corner if my eye.

3 Likes

Sooo… I don’t do Black Friday but my hubby was scheduled (incorrectly) for a dr apt yesterday. We got there and the office was closed so we went to pick up my new canik at the FFL instead. They are a big gun shop hiding inside a small hardware store in a really tiny town in rural Missouri and they were busier than I’ve ever seen them. But, everyone was polite and patient so it’s all good. And the baby Canik is awesome… I’ll get to shoot it later today.

4 Likes

PTSD and Black Friday crowds don’t mix well at all. I get anxious going for groceries with just a couple of people present - not always bad but it can be. The only Black Friday event I participated in was at an on base gun store.