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Eglė Bliabaitė

50 People Share The Worst Fails They’ve Seen On Black Friday

Black Friday (Topic) Amazon Target (Organization) Bored Panda CNN United States

Brace yourselves, Pandas—Black Friday is upon us! Traditionally, the Friday after Thanksgiving marks the start of the Christmas shopping season in the United States, as well as in many parts of the world. Unfortunately, this period brings out some of the worst traits in people: greed, aggression, and envy.

Our team at Bored Panda has compiled a list of photos featuring some of the most epic Black Friday fails ever. From stores ransacked by customers hunting for the biggest sales to companies trying to pull the wool over crazed shoppers’ eyes, there’s a bit of everything. Scroll down for a taste of what discounts can do to someone if they’re not careful.

#1 A Black Friday "Bargain"

Image credits: Zoykah

#2 My Local Macy's Store After Black Friday Sale

Image credits: Dankaay

#3 When You're At The Hospital And It Dawns On You That Today Is Black Friday

Image credits: emtcj

The National Retail Federation reports that 196.7 million Americans shopped in stores and online during the five-day holiday in 2022, from Thanksgiving Day to Cyber Monday.

That’s more than the jaw-dropping 179.8 million shoppers in 2021, 186.4 million in 2020, and 189.6 million in 2019.

#4 My Friend Saw A Baby Being Born At A Walmart On Black Friday

Image credits: crass_anon

#5 Black Friday At Walmart

The line decided to cross the street, blocking traffic. It extended down the parking lane rather than turning down the sidewalk like normal human beings.

Image credits: Alldamage

#6 People Who Do This

Image credits: IramFlorCamacho

Broadly speaking, Black Friday tends to be (one of) the busiest shopping days of the year in the US… as well as in some other parts of the world. However, you’d be wrong to think that Black Friday begins and ends on… well, Black Friday.

The shopping ‘holiday’ has a tendency to ‘bleed’ into the surrounding weeks… and even months (yes! Months!).

#7 What A Great Black Friday Deal

Image credits: Fugim

#8 I Finally Bought Myself A Security Camera On Black Friday From Target After Dealing With A Psycho. However, I Got Rice Instead

Image credits: Shadowflare000

#9 This Epic Black Friday Deal

Image credits: that1w3irdk1d

For instance, the Monday right after Black Friday is known as Cyber Monday. Retailers and companies continue to sell products and services at a discount. Some of them go further, celebrating Cyber Week.

Others, however, go even beyond that.

#10 My Partner Ordered Our First Ever "Big Purchase" On The Black Friday Sale. Apparently, The Delivery Guy Dropped It Down The Stairs And Ran

Image credits: BabyinAjar

#11 I Captured The Essense Of Black Friday In One Picture

Image credits: rusty_L_shackleford

#12 Here In Brasil There's No Black Friday But Only Scam

Image credits: Mr_Ramiro

CNN reports that in 2023, retailers “threw out the playbook,” rolling out deals in a similar vein as Black Friday weeks in advance. What this means is that this year, the impact of Black Friday itself might be lessened.

After all, if you’ve already hunted down the best deals of the season in advance, you might not want or need anything else. If you bought a new laptop/TV/console, you don’t need a second one.

#13 This Ad

Image credits: almostparallel76

#14 Black Friday Fail. People Are Fighting Over Products

Image credits: RealBasedMAGA

#15 Black Friday At A Walmart In Alabama. So Many People Waiting To Just Get In

Image credits: tjburns85

According to Parija Kavilanz from CNN, the November and December months account for around a fifth of retailers’ sales for the entire year. This means that the gift-buying season is incredibly important for companies’ sales and profits.

Retailers who fail to take advantage of the seasonal rush might find that they’re far behind their competitors.

#16 FedEx "Efficiency". I Live In Oregon And Ordered This Package On Black Friday

Image credits: mtheory11

#17 Black Friday, The One Day Saving 30 Bucks Is More Important Than Your Baby's Well Being

Image credits: uvasif28

#18 What A Steal

Image credits: fourNtwentyz

Marshal Cohen, the chief retail industry analyst with market research firm Circana, told CNN that Black Friday is now more akin to ‘Grey Friday.’ “The dilution of the power of Black Friday has begun again this year. Gone is the sense of urgency and excitement. But the quest for value is still there,” the specialist explained.

As the shopping ‘holiday’ spreads out over a longer period of time, what this means, in practical terms, is that there’s less urgency for shoppers to rush to their local retail stores. Though you’ll still find people camping and queuing up before opening time and fighting over goods, this year, all of this might be slightly muted (well, comparatively). There’s slightly less competition.

#19 The Laptop I Bought Online On Black Friday

Image credits: ZedOnNutella

#20 My Friend Ordered Two Fitbits During The Amazon Black Friday Sale, But Got Paper Plates Instead

Image credits: Parish87

#21 This Chair I Was Going To Buy Was £169.99 A Few Hours Before Amazon's Black Friday "Sale" Started

Image credits: XcoldmineX

What’s also changed the dynamic of Black Friday is the continued growth of online shopping. This makes deals incredibly accessible to anyone with a smartphone, a computer, and an internet connection.

When you’re offered awesome deals with (hopefully, insured) delivery straight to your door, why would you want to risk being crushed by several hundred other shoppers at a physical store? Convenience is a huge factor here.

#22 Deals Like This

Costco sales are unbeatable right now. They're next to the tires, in case you were wondering.

Image credits: joonbug2010

#23 Black Friday Sales Are Fire This Year

Image credits: JayBowdy

#24 When You Go Shopping On Black Friday But Forget Your Child's Stroller

Image credits: Kawaii_

CNN notes that some retailers may be worried about rising prices, higher interest and mortgage rates, and Americans having to restart repaying their student loans which were frozen for many during the Covid-19 pandemic.

This means that some companies respond by turning Black Friday into a massively long event, hoping to draw in more customers.

#25 These Dudes Are Trying To Put Two 65" TVs On The Top Of Their Honda Civic. Just Unreal

Image credits: Coachmun

#26 Such A Great Deal. Amazon vs. Manufacturer's Retail Price

I've been waiting to buy this on Amazon, assuming there would be some sort of Black Friday discount. But no, the price stayed at $150, but they added a crossed-out price, which is even higher than the actual manufacturer's suggested retail price.

Image credits: zubrowka1

#27 Black Friday Scam

Image credits: _MeganLouisee_

The upside for shoppers is that they get access to better deals for longer and have to compete less with others. The downside is elementary fatigue: if it’s always sale season, then it doesn’t matter much.

In the meantime, BBC Worklife notes that Black Friday has become shorthand for any deep-discount shopping event, whether it happens in October or… July!

#28 My Friend Ordered Two Elgato Game Capture Cards At $180 On Black Friday, And Amazon Sent Him Two Empty Boxes

Image credits: ishan0102

#29 The New TV I Bought For Black Friday From Walmart

Image credits: nwballer503

#30 Target Has These Up All Over Their Electronics Section. Guess Which Games Are Specifically Excluded From The Offer

Image credits: ilebeck

“Black Friday really is a huge deal. But Black Friday is no longer a single-day event,” David Bussak, managing director at the global business advisory firm AlixPartners, told the BBC's Brennan Doherty.

For some deliciously accurate and funny Black Friday memes, check out Bored Panda's previous article when you've enjoyed this list to the fullest.