(flickr/the idealist)


We all know the insanity that is called Black Friday -- and we've heard that Target and Walmart are kicking off the insanity on Thursday night. Is that too early? Yes, according to 31% of us. CouponCabin's survey found that Black Friday stresses us out. Here's what really freaks us out about Black Friday -- the thought of all those people in one store. That was the #1 answer about what stresses us out about the biggest shopping day of the year. Here's the rest:


  • The thought of that many people in one store is scary – 34 percent
  • The item I want might be out of stock before I can purchase it – 28 percent
  • The competition among other shoppers for deals – 26 percent
  • There are so many deals it's overwhelming – 16 percent



It's stressful just thinking about it. CouponCabin asked people about the strangest things they have witnessed on Black Friday. Here are a few answers:


  • Saw a guy walk out of the store hauling 25 buckets of cat litter.
  • Got shut out of a store because the fire marshal arrived.
  • I almost got run over by an older woman in a motorized wheelchair.
  • I sat on the floor of the store from 3 a.m. until 7 a.m. to get a laptop.
  • I stood in what I thought was a checkout line for two hours. Then I found out the line wasn't even leading to a register.
  • I saw someone buy ten toasters.
  • We were in line to pay when the computers went down and they couldn't take credit cards. Then, we all took shifts saving each other's places in line while we raced to ATMs down the street to get cash.
  • I was pushed into a skid of DVD players and ended up with a concussion.
  • My aunt drove all the way from Duluth, Minn., to Superior, Wis. to get a deal on undershirts.
  • I had to park a mile away and walk to the store.
  • Waited in traffic for two hours just to get into the parking lot.
  • A woman tried cutting in my line because she said she had left her oven on at home and had to get home quickly to shut it off. She was sent to the back of the line.