POLL: Will YOU Go Shopping on Black Friday?

Shopping on the day after Thanksgiving was originally considered a way to get a head start on December Christmas shopping.  But in recent years Black Friday has been associated with an ever-increasing frenzy of intense shopping that has at times reached dangerous levels.  On several occasions, crazed shoppers in large chain stores like Wal-Mart have actually injured or trampled one another.  In 2008 a man was killed by a "shreiking mob . . . in a blind rush for holiday bargains," reported the NY Times.

With this in mind, many people have stopped shopping on Black Friday all together.  Recently, Patch spoke to several Bloomfield residents who said they have no intention of getting involved in the Black Friday hysteria. 

“I’m not a Black Friday shopper.  I don’t like the crowds, it’s too hard to park and if you’re looking for bargains, everything is gone by the time you get there,” declared Shirley DiLauri, a waitress at Holsten’s restaurant on Watching Avenue and Broad Street. “Is there really that big a difference in price if you wait a few weeks?” 

Bloomfield residents John Greenwald and Frank Racanati also said they had no intention of getting involved in the Black Friday madness.  Though Racanati admitted his wife shops on Black Friday, both men agreed that fighting the crowds is not worth the hassle.

“I never participate in Black Friday, because of the crowds and because of the craziness,” Greenwald said.

What do YOU think?  Will you brave the crowds and shop on Black Friday this year?