In the 1996 Arnold Schwarzenegger holiday film “Jingle All The Way” there is a scene in the beginning of the movie that tackles just how dangerous holiday shopping can be. Hundreds of shoppers are lined up peacefully for a chance to grab the season’s hottest toy, the beloved Turbo Man doll, and then one person mobs a store employee which inevitably causes chaos to ensue.
Although this movie is meant for comedic purposes, this very scene plays out in stores across the country every 4th Friday in November aka Black Friday. Countless videos hit the internet every year of shoppers engaging in dangerous activities while out trying to grab the hottest deals. Injuries on Black Friday are fairly common and although stores have gotten better at installing safety protocols to avoid injuries, they still happen more often than they should. The federal government has even intervened and laid out guidelines for how big retailers should handle large crowds.
Here are a few of the most common causes of injuries seen on Black Friday and what you should do if you are on the wrong end of one of these 5 scenarios.