Technical glitches are also common. Online stores might have issues with their payment gateways or their inventory systems not updating correctly. So customers end up paying more than they should or not getting the items they ordered at all. This has led to a lot of frustration among Black Friday shoppers.
The most common one is probably overcrowding. Stores get filled with so many people that it becomes a chaotic mess. People can't move around easily, and it often leads to arguments and even fights over items.
I know of a situation where a group of shoppers lined up outside a store hours before it opened on Black Friday. But when the doors finally opened, the security measures failed. Thieves took advantage of the chaos and stole from people's bags and pockets while everyone was focused on getting inside the store. It was a nightmare for those who had their belongings stolen and a really bad start to their Black Friday shopping.
The intense competition among shoppers can turn into aggression. Everyone wants the best deal, and sometimes they are willing to be rude or even violent to get it. In some stories, you'll hear about people stealing items from others' carts or cutting in line. This creates a really negative and nightmarish atmosphere during Black Friday.
A store in 2016 had a 'buy one get one free' deal on designer shoes. Women were scrambling to get their hands on their favorite pairs. It was chaos but also exciting as everyone was so eager to get a great deal.
I think the most memorable would be the stampedes in some stores. With so many people eager to get their hands on the discounted items, it was like a mad rush. People were falling over each other, and it was really dangerous.
One horror story was about the overcrowding. Stores were filled to the brim. People were pushing and shoving just to get their hands on the discounted items. There were reports of people getting trampled as the crowd surged forward when the doors opened. It was chaos and a real nightmare for those who got caught in it.
Well, I heard of a situation where a store's website crashed on Black Friday. Customers had filled their virtual carts with items, but when they went to checkout, the site just froze. People lost their deals and were extremely frustrated. Also, there are times when the prices marked as 'discounted' on Black Friday are actually not that much of a bargain. A friend of mine thought she got a great deal on a TV, but later found out it was only a few dollars less than the regular price a month before.
One horror story is the stampedes. People rush in for deals and it can get really chaotic. I heard of cases where people got pushed, fell, and even got injured just trying to get to the discounted items first.
Funny one here. There was a Black Friday sale at a clothing store. A man tried on a really tight - fitting suit just for fun. He came out of the fitting room doing a model - like walk, imitating famous fashion models. His friends were in stitches and even some other shoppers joined in the laughter.
Funny story: One Black Friday, a store had a huge display of discounted TVs. A customer accidentally knocked over a tower of boxes thinking it was part of the display. Instead of getting angry, the store employees and other shoppers started helping to pick up the boxes and they all had a good laugh about it.
I heard a story where a customer waited in line for hours outside a store on Black Friday. When the store finally opened, the item they wanted was already gone due to some internal mismanagement. They were so frustrated after waiting for so long in the cold.