Consider this a preemptive post (especially since it all begins tonight) to prevent calamity at the mall as I do a little window shopping this morning before the afternoon festivities:
"Black Friday gun buys test background check system" by Matt Stroud, Associated Press November 27, 2014
BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. — Black Friday isn’t just when shoppers rush to stores for holiday sales. It’s also one of the busiest days of the year for gun purchases.
Not as many as there used to be.
In the United States, there are nine guns for every 10 people. Someone is killed with a firearm every 16 minutes. And every minute, gun shops make about 40 new requests for criminal background checks on people wanting weapons.
I'm sorry, but this gun-grabbing agenda-pushing over the Thanksgiving table is not going down well at all.
On Black Friday, the rush accelerates to nearly two checks a second, testing the limits of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
‘‘We have a perfect storm coming,’’ says Kimberly Del Greco, a manager in the FBI division that helps run the system, known as NICS.
Then all the NSA data collection is worthless?
Much of the responsibility for preventing criminals and the mentally ill from buying guns is shouldered by about 500 men and women who run the system from inside the FBI’s criminal justice center, a gray office building with concrete walls and mirrored windows just outside Bridgeport, W.Va.
Granted a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the NICS, the Associated Press was able to see first-hand why 512 gun sales a day effectively beat the system last year.
Yeah, yeah, the overwhelmed officials of tyranny.
************
The problem is the data.
States voluntarily submit records, which are often missing information about mental health rulings or criminal convictions, and aren’t always rapidly updated to reflect restraining orders or other urgent reasons to deny a sale. It’s a particular problem on Black Friday, when so many background checks are done at once.
What we are seeing here is not only the agenda being pushed, but the ground being set for the next wave and series of psyop shootings, be they in schools or malls.
There are more than 48,000 gun retailers in the United States, from Walmart stores to local pawn shops. Store clerks can use the FBI’s online E-Check System, which federal officials say is more efficient. But nearly half the checks are phoned in.
What, a government website that works?
Three call centers — in Kentucky, Texas, and Wheeling, W.Va. — take these calls from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. every day but Christmas.
NICS did about 58,000 checks on a typical day last year. That surged to 145,000 on Black Friday 2013. They’re bringing in 100 more workers than usual for the post-Thanksgiving rush this year.
The call centers have no access to privileged information about buyers’ backgrounds, and make no decisions. They just type in their name, address, birth date, Social Security number, and other information into the system. On Black Fridays, the work can be grueling: One woman took a call that lasted four hours when a dealer phoned in the maximum 99 checks.
In the years since these background checks were required, about 71 percent have found no red flags and produced instant approvals.
But 10 factors can disqualify gun purchasers: a felony conviction, an arrest warrant, a documented drug problem or mental illness, undocumented immigration status, a dishonorable military discharge, a renunciation of US citizenship, a restraining order, a history of domestic violence, or an indictment for any crime punishable by longer than one year of prison time.
Any sign that one of these factors could be in a buyer’s background produces a red flag. FBI researchers then investigate, scouring state records in the federal database and calling state and local authorities for more information.
So when is murderous authority included in the numbers and or conversation?
‘‘It takes a lot of effort . . . for an examiner to go out and look at court reports, look at judges’ documents, try to find a final disposition so we can get back to a gun dealer on whether they can sell that gun or not,’’ Del Greco says. ‘‘And we don’t always get back to them.’’
The researchers must use their skill and judgment, striking a balance between the rights of gun owners and the need to keep would-be killers from getting firearms.
Researcher Valerie Sargo said outstanding warrants often come up when they examine a red flag, and that can help police make arrests. ‘‘It makes you feel good that this person is not supposed to have a firearm and you kept it out of their hands,’’ she said.
That shows a totalitarian and authoritarian mindset -- as authority is armed to the teeth with military surplus(?).
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Thankfully, there are not as many people out there as there used to be:
"Black Friday gets trampled in November rush; The once-vaunted shopping day is falling victim to its success, retailers’ overreach" by Taryn Luna, Globe Correspondent November 20, 2014
Black Friday, long considered the single biggest shopping day of the year and the ceremonial start of the holiday season, has died, succumbing to rampant competition and complications from the Internet. It was nearly 50 years old.
Gunned down, if you will (cue somber organ music).
Maybe you can get the gun through Amazon then.
Related:
Brighter economy driving up holiday hiring plans
UPS plans to hire 2,000 seasonal workers in Mass.
"UPS said it will hire up to 95,000 seasonal workers, has opened or expanded 47 facilities to boost capacity, and UPS expects to deliver more than 34 million packages on the busiest day of the holiday season."
What can brown do for you?
The proliferation of other days that offer blockbuster savings robbed the traditional Black Friday sale of its distinctive retail identity. Now, the Friday after Thanksgiving is no longer the only day shoppers can get a Samsung Galaxy S5 for a penny. Or a 50-inch LED TV for $218.
Well, whooooooo$e fault is that?
“It’s the end of an American shopping tradition,” said Burt P. Flickinger III, managing director at SRG Insight, a retail consulting firm in New York.
Black Friday fell victim to a “Darwinian destruction” in which retailers created an extended calendar of Big Shopping Days by combining the doorbuster deals that defined the day after Thanksgiving with everyday discounts, he said.
Then it was a suicide shooting, wasn't it?
Look, the dead victim has been robbed, says my corporate mouthpiece.
In states that allow retailers to open on holidays, shoppers will instead break down the doors for the traditional doorbuster bargains on Black Thursday — formerly known as Thanksgiving.
That's why you are getting this post this morning.
Black Friday will also be displaced as the biggest shopping day of the year by Super Saturday — the last Saturday before Christmas. And retailers are expanding the use of online specials they can offer throughout the season.
As an executive at Walmart quipped recently, the new Black Friday should simply be called “November.”
It's a never ending sell since they were promoting Christmas in July.
Since Massachusetts prohibits retailers from opening on holidays such as Thanksgiving, Black Friday here will maintain some of the midnight madcap rush atmosphere that many families and friends have turned into a tradition.
Let's hope no one is killed by the stampedes this year.
But long before they haul their turkey-stuffed bodies to the mall, many shoppers will have already launched their gift-buying at Target, which began hawking its holiday doorbusters on Nov. 10, or at Staples, which rolled out its deals a week later.
Hacking meant nothing?!!?
"Home Depot faces at least 44 lawsuits in the United States and Canada over a massive data breach earlier this year that affected 56 million debit and credit cards. The nation's biggest home improvement retailer said Tuesday in a regulatory filing that several state and federal agencies also are looking into the data breach and it may face more litigation from customers, banks, shareholders and others. Home Depot said the litigation and the investigations may distract management and affect how it runs its business. It also could lead to additional costs and fines. But those expenses aren't clear yet because the cases are in early stages, the company said in a quarterly filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Atlanta-based retailer disclosed the months-long breach of data in September. It has said that the hackers initially accessed its network in April with a third-party vendor's username and password. Hackers then deployed malware on Home Depot's self-checkout systems to gain access to the card information of customers who shopped at its U.S. and Canadian stores between April and September. Home Depot's breach surpassed Target's pre-Christmas 2013 data theft, which compromised 40 million credit and debit cards and hurt sales and profits. Since late last year, Michaels, SuperValu and Neiman Marcus have been among a string of retailers that have also reported breaches, though they were smaller."
Related: Home Depot faces dozens of breach-related lawsuits
Sorry, your card didn't clear.
"Staples Inc. says it will close more stores this year than previously announced as it tries to reposition itself to remain competitive. The office supply retailer also delivered a solid third-quarter performance and fourth-quarter forecast on Wednesday, which sent its shares sharply higher. The Framingham-based company has been struggling for some time with a shift in consumer habits toward online shopping, along with intense competition that has hurt its sales. In response, Staples has closed stores and cut costs to improve profitability, while increasing its online offerings and other features to draw shoppers. Staples said Wednesday that these moves have paid off to some degree. It earned $216.8 million for the quarter that ended Nov. 1 [although] total revenue fell."
I'll bet it was all the doing of ISIS!
At least you can still go to Walmart(?cuibono?):
And Walmart, which more than any other retailer elevated the one-day frenzy of shopping to a national pastime, unwrapped its first holiday deals Nov. 1
"Wal-Mart is doing whatever it takes to rope in holiday shoppers however they want to buy. For the first time, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is offering free shipping on what it considers the season's top 100 hottest gifts, from board games to items related to Disney's hit film "Frozen" items, starting Saturday. The move comes as rival Target Corp. began offering free shipping on all items, a program that started late October and will last through Dec. 20. Wal-Mart is also planning to offer discounts, or what it refers to as "rollbacks," on more than 20,000 items on a broad range of products, from groceries to TVs, starting Saturday. The timing is similar to last year, but the discounter said the assortment is broader. It's also pulling forward by nearly a month 15 24-hour online deals originally reserved for the Thanksgiving weekend and so-called Cyber Monday. The online deals are in addition to several hundred online holiday specials that start Saturday. Wal-Mart is trying to rev up sluggish sales in the U.S. as it battles competition from online retailers, dollar stores and drugstores. At the same time, it's also dealing with a slowly recovering economy that hasn't benefited its low-income shoppers. As a result, stores are being forced to step up their game for the holiday shopping season, which accounts for about 20 percent of retail industry's annual sales. The National Retail Federation, the nation's largest retail trade group, forecasts a 4.1 percent sales increase to $616.9 billion for November and December from last year. But...."
And they called it a booming economic recovery.
In most states other than Massachusetts, many retailers are opening on Thanksgiving evening, or making their doorbusters available online that morning; some will start their specials on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
“The retailing community is so anxious about business that they are all trying to get headstarts on each other,” said Madison Riley, managing partner and retail analyst for Kurt Salmon in New York. “They are not really sure how the season will pan out, and they are continuing to do earlier and earlier offerings.”
Really?
The term Black Friday, which dates to the 1960s, appears to have been first used by police in Philadelphia in reaction to the hordes that flocked to the malls on the day after Thanksgiving.
What an authoritarian and militaristic prism I'm looking through.
Retailers later adopted and redefined the phrase to signify the day when their businesses turned a profit for the first time that year — as in from red ink to black.
For decades, retailers have dropped prices on Friday to kick off the holiday season, a period that typically accounts for about 20 percent of annual sales. An arms-race mentality soon took over as retailers vied to outdo their competitors with ever more outrageous discounts — DVDs for $1.99, or half off a Sony PlayStation.
Then I am reading the perfect vehicle for it, a war-promoting pre$$.
Black Friday had already begun to lose some of its pop in recent years; total sales in 2013 were down 14 percent from just two years earlier. But some analysts question whether retailers are solving anything by moving Black Friday to other days, particularly the Thanksgiving holiday.
“You’re incurring extra costs and you’re probably having to pay a bit more to bring people in for those holiday hours,” Riley said.
The main problem is the American middle class has been destroyed and all the wealth has accrued at the top.
On the other hand, getting people to spend more time in stores during a longer shopping period may result in more impulse purchases, increasing overall sales.
“You will spend more, the more times you’re out,” said Michael Tesler, a retail professor at Bentley University. “Retailers have to beat last year, so if they don’t have better merchandise or better deals they need more hours.”
The National Retail Federation expects sales in November and December to increase by a modest 4.1 percent this year, to $616.9 billion.
Among the one-day deals that Target Corp. offered earlier this month was $50 off the popular Beats Studio headphones. The Minneapolis-based chain is also making some specials available on its mobile shopping application during the week of Thanksgiving and in stores the Wednesday before the holiday.
As for Black Friday itself, the only deal that Target has this year for just that one day is a 10 percent discount on gift cards.
So the hacking really isn't something to take $eriou$ly, huh?
Walmart is using the long Thanksgiving weekend to roll out its deals in stages, beginning online Thursday morning and running through Cyber Monday. The best discounts are scheduled for stores outside Massachusetts that are open on Thanksgiving day: an iPad Mini for $199 and a $30 gift card.
Black Friday itself will feature deals on less-popular items like tires and jewelry.
Staples has also arrived early to the party, offering “Black Friday for Business” deals on Sunday that included $100 off a mesh desk chair. Traditional steeply discounted offers will go live on Thanksgiving and include an Asus laptop for $99.99 and a free Kindle with any laptop purchase of $399 or higher.
“It gives customers the chance to shop when and where they want, not just on one frenetic and frantic day,” said Alison Corcoran, Staples’ senior vice president of North American stores and online marketing.
“We want to give them access to deals that they can take advantage of on their own time.”
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I would stay away from the malls this weekend, what with all the guns being purchased:
"Forecasts cloudy for holiday shopping season" by Taryn Luna, Globe Correspondent November 19, 2014
Holiday sales forecasts are starting to sound like a broken record.
I understand the feeling.
Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, is “cautiously optimistic” — a phrase he used to define his outlook on the holiday season last year and something very similar to what he’s said since 2010.
The ho-hum forecast is echoed in national projections from analysts and economists.
“We have not yet fully escaped the economic challenge that we experienced even four or five years ago,” said Madison Riley, an analyst with Kurt Salmon in New York. “The economy is still improving and not where it was prior to 2008.”
But the 1% have made out unbelievably well as "incomes for the highest-earning 1 percent of Americans soared 31 percent from 2009 through 2012."
The state retail association predicts sales will climb 3.9 percent to $15.4 billion in November and December, which is just under the National Retail Federation’s forecast of 4.1 percent growth to $616.9 billion.
The forecasts are slightly better than last year, when sales climbed 3.3 percent in Massachusetts, and retailers are working hard to pursue every possible avenue for growth again this year.
Many are offering door-buster-like deals earlier than ever to extend the season, some have retooled warehouses, and others poured millions into credit-card security.
We simply do not have the money. Sorry.
Tricia Patrick, a principal at Bain Capital in Boston who focuses on the retail and consumer industries, said this season should be helped by lower gas prices and lower rates of unemployment.
“In general, if the consumer is a little bit stronger, it should be better for retail,’’ Patrick said. But, she noted, most Americans have not seen meaningful gains in their incomes in recent years.
It's like a broken record.
Another problem: There aren’t many must-have items this season other than the iPhone 6, introduced in September.
“There’s nothing new and exciting this year,” said Marshal Cohen, an analyst with the NPD Group, a market research firm in New York.
It’s one reason why most Americans plan to stay home on Black Friday this year, according to a new report from Bankrate.com.....
Like me.
There are no good deals and I would just be wasting gas.
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So what gifts can we come up with for the kids?
"Consumer group lists ‘10 Worst Toys’ for kids" by Philip Marcelo, Associated Press November 19, 2014
BOSTON — A bow that shoots illuminated arrows its manufacturer says can fly up to 145 feet and the ‘‘Catapencil’’ — a pencil with a miniature slingshot-style launcher on its end — are on an annual list of unsafe toys released Wednesday by a Massachusetts-based consumer watchdog group.
World Against Toys Causing Harm, or WATCH, issued the ‘‘10 Worst Toys’’ list to remind parents and consumers of the potential hazards in some toys the holiday shopping season gets underway.
Here’s the full list of ‘‘worst toys’’ for 2014: “Air Storm Firetek Bow’’ by Zing; “Ziggle’’ four-wheeled cycle by Radio Flyer; “Catapencil’’ by Toysmith; “Alphabet Zoo Rock & Stack Pull Toy’’ by Skip Hop; “SWAT Electric Machine Gun’’ by Junxing Toys Industrial Co.; “Wooden Instruments’’ sold at Wal-Mart; “Bottle Rocket Party’’ by Norman & Globus; “Lil’ Cutesies-Best Friends’’ doll by JC Toys Group; “True Legends Orcs Battle Hammer’’ sold at Toys R Us; and “Colored Hedgehog’’ plush toy sold at Toys R Us.
Comes complete with cop uniform, too.
--more--"
Where else can one go to get toys?
"A 16-year-old boy driving relatives from Texas to a vacation in Disney World apparently fell asleep at the wheel, causing the sport utility vehicle to veer off the highway and roll over, killing three children and two adults, authorities said Thursday.... The success of Walt Disney Co. movies, including the animated tale ‘‘Frozen’’ and the Marvel movie ‘‘Guardians of the Galaxy,’’ lifted its fourth-quarter financial results. Overall revenue rose [while] fourth-quarter net income rose 8 percent to $1.5 billion."
"Hasbro helps kids with disabilities learn to play" Associated Press November 19, 2014
PROVIDENCE — Toy makers at Hasbro don’t want Mr. Potato Head to end up at the bottom of toy boxes, simply because children with developmental disabilities don’t know how to play with him.
Hasbro Inc. has partnered with The Autism Project, a group of parents and professionals who help people with autism to create instructional videos and tools to help children with developmental disabilities learn how to play with their toys.
I'm sensing some guilt.
Three engineers at the company thought of the idea, said Karen Davis, the senior vice president of global philanthropy and social impact at Hasbro, so every child can ‘‘experience the joy of play.’’
About 15 percent of children in the United States have a developmental disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Joanne Quinn, executive director of The Autism Project, said ToyBox Tools will have a ‘‘huge impact’’ because parents will feel more empowered to play with their children, and children will learn how to play at their own pace and learn important life skills.
Ever notice most kids instinctually share before being taught otherwise?
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That is what I got last Christmas.
What, were there no G.I. Joe's left?
Also see: Monopoly Money
Yeah, thanks for the idea.
"Barbie dethroned by Team Elsa" AP November 26, 2014
NEW YORK — For the first time in more than a decade, Barbie has been frozen out of the top spot on the holiday wish lists of girls.
The new champion in the hearts of little girls is Team Elsa.
The megahit ‘‘Frozen’’ has earned Disney more than a billion at the box office worldwide, and the gravitational pull of the animated film has now plucked Barbie from the throne she has occupied for 11 years, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation.
Barbie’s star has faded of late, with sales of the iconic doll dropping 21 percent in the third quarter, according to the toy company Mattel Inc.
Maybe she needs a boob job?
Dolls dominated the top five spots for girls in the poll. Monster High dolls took the fourth spot and American Girl grabbed the fifth position.
For boys, the federation said that the number one spot is again held by Lego. Cars and trucks came in second place, while Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were in third place.
--more--"
Related: Toying Around With Venezuela
No wonder they are giving them away.
Time to do some shopping for the adults:
"Budweiser’s Clydesdales get some time off" Associated Press November 25, 2014
NEW YORK — Ahead of Thanksgiving, Budweiser has been running ads for ‘‘Holiday Crates’’ that include 18-packs of Budweiser in crates that are replicas of those used to deliver beer after Prohibition.
The Clydesdales have been associated with Budweiser since 1933, when the company introduced them to celebrate the repeal of Prohibition.
‘‘You look around, and we have this huge group of young drinkers, and almost half of them have never tried the brand,’’ said Eric Shepard, executive editor of industry tracker Beer Marketer’s Insights.
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Here is something else you can get them:
"Marijuana retailers in Colo. woo shoppers with holiday deals
DENVER — That’s not mistletoe. From new marijuana strains for the holidays to gift sets and pot-and-pumpkin pies, the burgeoning marijuana industry in Colorado is scrambling to get a piece of the holiday shopping dollar.
They don't want you there!
Dispensaries in many states have been offering holiday specials for medical customers for years — but this first season of open-to-all-adults marijuana sales in some states means cannabis shops are using more of the tactics traditional retailers use. Here’s a look at how the recreational marijuana industry is trying to spur sales:
Did you keep the receipt so I can return it?
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You also better check the label on that candy.
Black Friday Shopping Catches on in UK
Somehow I could not find anything there.
Well, this clip is empty. Will have to reload tomorrow.
NEXT DAY UPDATES:
‘Webrooming’ shoppers research online, then buy in stores
In many states, early-bird shoppers turn out on Thanksgiving
Overnight snowfall may make for slippery Black Friday
