Black Friday
November 25, 2005
On the day after Thanksgiving hoards of shoppers descended on Lexington stores to take advantage of deep discounts and the opportunity to wait in incredibly long lines. They rose well before dawn and clustered outside, bundled to their eyeballs against the arctic temperatures, waiting for the doors to open so they can be among the first to pounce on those early bird specials—while they last.
When I saw Lindsey Hammond sitting, head in hands, while waiting in line at Target, I was reminded of why I hate shopping on Black Friday—long lines. To me, few things are worth the wait. I don’t know if it’s the boredom, the sore feet, or the de-humanizing effect of being herded like cattle. Probably all three.
It’s ironic that today I found myself rising before dawn along with the bargain-hunters, bundled to my eyeballs against the artic air, ready to pounce on any shopper that made a good picture.
As one who did shop on the most frustrating shopping day of the year, I think this picture accurately displays how incredibly tiring this event is.