Black Friday mayhem: One shot outside Missouri mall as brawls close Alabama shopping center after stores open their doors early (with experts predicting Americans will splash out $20BILLION over the weekend)
- One person was shot outside a Missouri mall on Thursday night as Black Friday shoppers rushed to stores
- In Hoover, Alabama, two women sparked a mass brawl which forced the closure of the Riverchase Galleria
- Other videos and pictures of frantic shoppers brawling over goods are pouring in from all over the country
- Commerce experts predict Americans will spend $20billion in total between Thursday night and Monday
- The average shopper is expected to spend almost $1,000 on discounted goods in stores and online
- Many stores got a head start by opening their doors at 5pm on Thanksgiving Day to do more trade
Black Friday madness has officially gripped the nation.
The elbows-out shopping bonanza began on Thursday night as stores across the country opened their doors early to crowds of frantic bargain hunters.
Within hours, there were mass brawls at malls as they fought over discounted televisions and clothes and the chaos is ongoing.
In Hoover, Alabama, the scrum in one mall became so violent that paramedics had to be called to treat the injured.
Walmart staff were filmed holding frothing female shoppers on the ground as they waited for security to arrive to carry them out.
The violence was even more severe in Missouri where a 19-year-old man was shot outside a mall as shoppers rushed to snap up cut-price goods inside. He is in a critical condition.
On Friday, millions more flocked to shopping centers across the country as yet more deals became available.
At the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota, there were snaking lines before the sun had even come up. The crowds were organized by barriers before being let inside at 5am.
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ALABAMA: In the Buckle Store at Riverchase Galleria in Hoover, Alabama, two women were held down by staff and arrested by security after brawling. The mall was eventually shut down
Mall staff say that 2,500 people waited outside the Mall of America before it opened.
In Massachusetts, dedicated shoppers braved freezing temperatures to camp outside stores with blankets.
They waited patiently for Walmart and Best Buy to open at 1am. Walmart in Dartmouth will be open until 11pm on Friday night - 22 hours after it opened its doors to the first shoppers.
Neither incident of violence in Missouri and Alabama were sparked by fights over sale items, according to local police.
At a Walmart somewhere else in the country however, five people were seen grappling over the same toy car.
The grown men had to be separated by store staff and one was even talked down by his female companion.
Their efforts were in vain - store staff refused to allow any of them to take the car home.
CHICAGO: One video taken at a Walmart in south Chicago shows shoppers swarming over a table to pick up discounted goods
This year's frenzy will see Americans spend an astonishing $20billion in stores and online, according to consumer experts.
Experts predict 164 million Americans will spend nearly $1,000 each over the holiday weekend.
WHAT THEY ARE BUYING
The Amazon Echo is among the most popular items
At the Mall of America, staff said the biggest demand was for voice-activated electronic goods like Amazon's Echo speaker and clothes.
The Echo is being sold for $79.99 online and in stores, a discount of $20.
At Best Buy, televisions were enormously discounted.
Macy's, Nordstrom, and Best Buy were the most crowded of its 520 stores.
Shoppers are also rushing to snap up Hatchimals, a children's toy which has surged in popularity
Another popular purchase was the Hatchimal - a children's toy which has been discounted slightly across stores including Target and Best Buy.
The iPhone 8 was also expected to be a big it.
Best Buy was offering $200 off on financing deals.
The mayhem began at 5pm on Thanksgiving Day as thousands of bargain hunters rushed inside stores across the US in search of amazing sales, door buster deals and limited-time offers.
Macy's Herald Square in Manhattan saw hundreds of people lined up outside their doors waiting to get their hands on deals like cosmetic and perfume sets from $10 to $20 as well as 40 per cent off on boots and shoes.
Shoppers were also seen flocking to its Apple shop for deals on gadgets like the Apple Watch.
Experts have predicted that over the five-day period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, consumers will spend $19.7 billion.
As several shoppers have braved the cold weather in tents, others cut the line by dressing up as staffers and waltzing through the doors.
An estimated 164 million people are planning to shop or are considering shopping during the Thanksgiving weekend, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation (NRF).
Of those considering shopping the long holiday weekend, the survey found that 32 million plan to shop on Thanksgiving Day, but Black Friday will remain the busiest day with 115 million shoppers descending on US stores.
Consumers said they will spend an average $967.13 this year, according to the annual survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics.
That's up 3.4 per cent from the $935.58 consumers said they would spend when surveyed at the same time last year.
Cyber Monday is expected to become the largest online shopping day in history, generating $6.6 billion in sales, 16.5 per cent growth compared to last year.
The initial sales on Thanksgiving Day were expected to increase 15 per cent to $2.8 billion. But by 5pm Thursday, Americans had already spent $1.52 billion, which is a 17 per cent increase from last year.
Adobe also projects $5 billion will be spent on Black Friday. Between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday sales are predicted to hit $19.7 billion.
The NRF expects holiday retail sales in November and December – excluding automobiles, gasoline and restaurants – to increase between 3.6 and 4 per cent for a total of $678.75 billion to $682 billion, up from $655.8 billion last year.
US stores had to get creative this year with tricks to lure shoppers off the internet and back into the thick of it.
MASSACHUSETTS: In Dartmouth, Massachusetts, Jeffrey Clark and Jania Carreiro waited outside Walmart for its doors to open at 1am on Friday. The store will be open for almost 24 hours - until 11pm on Friday night
MASSACHUSETTS: People slept outside the Walmart in Dartmouth in order to go through its doors as soon as they opened at 1am
MASSACHUSETTS: At a Best Buy in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, a man rushes to pay for his TV at Best Buy
MASSACHUSETTS: Shoppers rush to snap up Playstations and other electronics at a Best Buy on Black Friday
MINNESOTA: At the Mall of America in Minneapolis, thousands queued up before the mall opened at 5am on Friday to snag thousands of free gifts and snap up deals which were being offered
MINNESOTA: The Mall of America is a world famous shopping destination with 520 stores inside. It is offering extended hours on Black Friday and will be open from 5am until 10pm
MINNESOTA: When the doors eventually opened, thousands poured through to get their hands on the deals
NEW YORK STATE: There were long lines for the Best Buy at Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, New York, on Friday morning
NEW YORK STATE: At the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, New York, a woman piles more goods into a trolley full of items
MANHATTAN: A woman carrying a Macy's bag makes her way through New York City after snagging a variety of goods
MANHATTAN: Lord & Taylor, another popular NYC department store, attracted others with its deals
Shopping malls in several states have scheduled Santa photo shoots with family pets as one way to attract customers in the face of the exploding online shopping realm.
Brick-and-mortar stores have expanded their bag of tricks - and gotten increasingly bold - as they look to lure shoppers who might otherwise be happy to stay on the couch and pick up gifts while still in their pajamas.
For the holiday shopping season, malls are hosting gingerbread decorating sessions, visits from the Grinch and ugly Christmas sweater nights.
Temporary ice skating rinks and magical winter decor - like the famous Macy's window displays in New York - are also being used to draw customers intent on an in-person holiday experience.
Walmart stores plans to throw more than 20,000 'holiday parties' at which children can pose for 'selfies with Santa'.
The flagship Bloomingdale's store in New York has held yoga classes in the past, while Nordstrom has displayed Tesla cars near the section for men's suits. A number of shops now also ply visitors with food and drink.
'All of these retailers are desperate to get people into their stores,' said analyst Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, who added a note of caution about all the promotions.
MANHATTAN: Eager shoppers were seen cramped against the store's doors as they waited patiently to get their hands on early Christmas gifts at Macy's in Herald Square on Thursday night
MANHATTAN: Macy's opened its doors at 5pm on Thanksgiving Day for thousands of early Black Friday shoppers in search of amazing sales, door buster deals, and limited-time-offers
MANHATTAN: The Manhattan Macy's store has deals like cosmetic and perfume sets from $10 to $20 as well as 40 per cent off on boots and shoes that have enticed shoppers this Black Friday
MANHATTAN: Within minutes of the store doors opening on Thursday night, Macy's was packed with shoppers eager to make the most of the deals
MANHATTAN: A woman looks at a pair of boots in Macy's Herald Square, which is offering 40 per cent off of boots and shoes
MANHATTAN: People shop for items in Macy's Herald Square during early opening for the Black Friday sales in Manhattan
MANHATTAN: The initial sales on Thanksgiving Day were expected to increase 15 per cent to $2.8 billion. But by 5pm Thursday, Americans had already spent $1.52 billion, which is a 17 per cent increase from last year
Some shared tactics for cutting the line by wearing store uniforms. Other enterprising Twitter users were prepared to sell theirs
'Whether they work or not is open to debate.'
More than 800 people lined up outside a Best Buy in Irving, Texas, on Thanksgiving. The electronics store had some of the most impressive lines with line in Tennessee snaking into the parking lot.
But some of the Targets in the US appeared empty compared to Best Buy. There were several shoppers spotted at a Target in Chicago, but even more flocked to Best Buy.
In Nevada, more than 40 dispensaries will offer discounts on marijuana flower products, edibles such as chocolates, and concentrates, this Black Friday.
According to the Las Vegas Sun, this will be the first Black Friday since legal sales of recreation marijuana began in Nevada.
'It's a great stocking-stuffer, and now you can treat it like alcohol in that regard,' said state Sen. Tick Segerblom, who helped legalize recreational pot in the state. 'As long as no kids can get to it. It's for adults only.'
Some dispensaries will offer an eighth of an ounce of select flower products for $35, down from $53. One dispensary will gift shoppers a 10-pack of fruit chew edibles with any purchase, while another one will have a buy-one-get-one-free special on edibles.
Legal sales of recreational marijuana began in the state July 1. Those 21 and older with a valid ID can buy up to an ounce of pot. People can only use the drug in a private home as it remains illegal to consume it in public, including the Las Vegas Strip, hotels and casinos.
'Cannabis use has been misunderstood and vilified in our country for over 80 years, so this day will feel both surreal and celebratory,' said Andrew Jolley, owner of dispensaries and president of the Nevada Dispensary Association. 'We're very excited about the first holiday season of adult-use in Nevada.'
TEXAS: Holiday shoppers create aisle traffic at Best Buy during an early start to the Black Friday sale at Chimney Rock Shopping Center in Odessa, Texas
CALIFORNIA: Thanksgiving holiday shoppers wait in a check out line at the JCPenny store in Glendale, California on Thanksgiving Day
KENTUCKY: Lines formed round the block of this Best Buy in Bowling Green, Kentucky, on Thursday afternoon
KANSAS: A woman waiting to be allowed in to Best Buy in Overland Park, Kansas, picks out what she is going to choose once inside from a catalogue
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Shoppers in Target had more room to themselves and snagged cut-price TVs on Thursday night. Above, Jane Sousie and her son with their matching TVs in a store in Keene
CHICAGO: At this Target in Chicago, two women leave satisfied with TVs and home goods on Thursday night
The officer then takes the driving force to jail for processing and concludes his investigation, mailing the DUI kit to the state crime lab.
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