Silver Brawls

“Shoppers Fight Inside a Kohl's”

“Fight Over a Barbie Doll”

“Two Women and Teen Arrested During a Black Friday Shopping-Related Fight”

“A Woman Was Hospitalized after Fighting for Black Friday Deals”

If there really were Twelve Days of Christmas anymore, I can only imagine the scrum for four calling birds.

The joys of the holidays are upon us. And almost like the Bing Crosby TV special or the lighting of the town tree, it’s time to have the annual debate over the role of retail in the 21st Century version of Christmas.

On the one hand, who else anymore provides the lights, music, windows and Santa Claus that make the holidays special? On the other hand, when did gift-giving turn into a combat sport?

When stores moved up the installation of their lights and tinsel, from Thanksgiving to Halloween to Labor Day, there was mild objection to the blurring of the lines. When stores moved their door-busting from Black Friday at noon, to Thanksgiving at midnight, to all-day Thanksgiving Day, the objections became stronger.

But who can overlook the chaos and violence that accompany all these great deals? What would The Magi say about the gift-giving tradition they inspired? Do you think they had to get up at midnight and stand in line for the best deals on myrrh? (“Only at Kmart. Limited supply. Frankincense and ‘Assassins Creed’ available, too. Get there early.”)

So once again, there was all the conversation about who will? Who won’t?

Walmart, Kmart, Macy’s, Target and RadioShack were among those who opened on Thanksgiving Day. Costco and GameStop were among those who held the Pilgrim festival sacred – at least until midnight. Also T. J. Maxx, Barnes & Noble, Crate and Barrel, Nordstrom, Bed Bath & Beyond, Dillard’s, Neiman Marcus, Burlington Coat Factory and Patagonia.

GameStop president Tony Bartel said, “For us, it’s a matter of principle. We have a phrase around here that we use a lot – it’s called ‘protecting the family.’ We want our associates to enjoy their complete holidays.”

And this from Costco executive Richard Galanti. “It’s an important holiday in the U.S., and our employees work hard during the holiday season, and we believe they deserve the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving Day with their family and friends.”

Unfortunately for retailers, this is one of those years with the shortest possible holiday shopping season. Thanksgiving fell almost as late as it could fall, leaving the minimum four weekends until Christmas.

Unfortunately, also, the news reports on Tuesday, December 2, were of the “Cyber Monday Shatters Records” variety. One wonders how those shoppers worked out their holiday aggressions.

Probably just stayed home on Thanksgiving and argued with the family. At least one great tradition survives.

As a journalist, writer, editor and commentator, Steve Kaufman has been watching the store design industry for 20 years. He has seen the business cycle through retailtainment, minimalism, category killers, big boxes, pop-ups, custom stores, global roll-outs, international sourcing, interactive kiosks, the emergence of China, the various definitions of “branding” and Amazon.com. He has reported on the rise of brand concept shops, the demise of brand concept shops and the resurgence of brand concept shops. He has been an eyewitness to the reality that nothing stays the same, except the retailer-shopper relationship.