Shocking News! People Spent A Lot of Money on Black Friday

The official start of holiday shopping season kicked off this weekend on the Friday after Thanksgiving--commonly known as Black Friday, where retailers hope to get out of the red and finally make a profit. For the past few years, consumers have been reserved with regard to their purchases due to a sluggish economy, but this year a heavy marketing push from stores paid off, and people came out in droves to drop some dough, WWD is reporting. Slashed prices and extended hours of operations lured buyers and persuaded them to part with their money. A record 226 million made purchases either in-person or online over the weekend, totaling an impressive $52.4 billion. While this is a positive sign in terms of consumer morale and economic optimism, there were a few drawbacks, namely frenzied stampedesand the occasional pepper sprayingto remind us that just beneath the joyful holiday spirit lives an insatiable avarice lurking in the corners of our very rotten, flawed souls. Holiday cheer, indeed!