Order in Chaos - APwikiWARRIORS

Issue #34
December 2009
Order in Chaos
Finding order in the most absurd place.
A look into Best Buy’s Black Friday.
Inside Look:
Pro-Shoppers in Menards
Holiday Extravaganza
Consumer Bliss
Bringing you the latest shopping news from around the twin cities
Preface
This E-zine was created to advance the industry. It is evident to us industry insiders that
paper print is on its way out. So we created an
electronic magazine to, in an experimental effort, advance the industry and push the
boundaries of technology. Reading this means
you are on the cutting edge of technology.
Inside of this issue of The Gyroscope our
talented writers have brought you the best
Black Friday shopping stories in an entertaining
and easy to read manner. Our writers observed
the busiest shopping day of the year to bring
you the newest stories in the newest format. So
sit back and enjoy the issue of The Gyroscope
now in E-zine format!
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Table of Contents
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Pro-Shoppers in Menards
O
n one of the busiest shopping
days of the year the average shopper spent
$343.31. On Friday November 27 America
spent 41.2 billion dollars in stores. This Friday
is known as Black Friday to both retailers and
shoppers alike. For many retailers Black Friday is the first day that the retailer turns a
profit for the year. Black Friday was titled
such because retailers go from a loss, red ink,
to black ink indicating positive revenue. Cab
and Bus drivers coined the term Black Friday
to describe the incredible traffic jams they
face on the day after thanksgiving. This Friday
in Bloomington- Normal the town was as busy
as the rest of the country as I observed this
informal national holiday.
Early in the cold dark morning a line
begins to form outside of Menard’s. At five in
the morning the line is already half way down
the length of the building, this is a whole hour
before the store opens and the line grows at a
steady pace. As the line grows the parking lot
begins to fill and soon is full. A free for all ensues for any available parking spots. Large
trucks drive over the curb and park helterskelter in the grass. Even a small sedan drove
over the curb and into the grass to be a few
feet closer to the door. The street is lined on
both sides by cars all the way to the end of
the road and the parking lot of the furniture
stores over 200 yards away is rapidly filling.
No one is thinking about how they will get
their car out of this mess so long as they get
two inches closer to the door they are completely satisfied. The shoppers are dressed
warmly in heavy jackets and scarves. Some
people rock back and forth trying to keep
warm as they anxiously await the opening of
the doors. Others talk quietly with their
friends and family next to them in line or on
cell phones strategizing and coordinating to
get the best deals. These are the professional
shoppers. They are armed with cell phones,
lists, and ads. They view this day not as fun
but as a deal hunting mission. They know
what they want, they know where it is and
they are determined to get that item or items
as quickly as possible. In a few hours these
pro shoppers will have finished shopping,
Ironically, the only
empty section in
the store is the
Christmas section.
right as the rest of the world is waking up and
coming out to wander wide eyed through the
mall or other stores. In previous years these
pro shoppers have rushed in and cleared out
entire pallets of items in minutes.
This year will be no different. When
DVD players were first becoming mainstream
Menards offered a model for $19.99 and they
were gone in under 2 minutes. This year the
hot item is the boot and glove dryer for $8.48.
Stacks of them were flying off the shelves.
One woman jealously guarded four of the devices while she plotted with her husband to
go back for several more. She was telling her
husband how she was worried that there
would be no more left because she grabbed
some of the last ones there. Ironically, the
only empty section in the store is the Christ-
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Pro-Shoppers in Menards
mas section. Tired husbands and children
rest among the Christmas trees watching over
a pile of items while their wives and mothers
shop.
The checkout lines stretched almost to
the rear of the store. Everyone was holding
everything they could carry and then some
except for the few lucky people that were
there early enough to get a cart or found one
loose in the busy parking lot, abandoned by
another black Friday shopper. The line moves
at a slow but steady pace and everyone is
quiet and courteous. There is no one trying to
cut to the front of the line and there is light
casual conversation between different groups
of shoppers. One man on his cell phone is
coaching a friend on what TV to buy and another is telling the people around him how
easy it was to get in and out of Wal-Mart this
year.
After the bargain hunters checked out
they began the long trek to their car. They
walk in the crisp morning air bathed in the
early dawn light on to the next store. They are
Pro-shoppers, on the hunt for the next killer
deal be it a TV or a sweater, their arms full
and their wallets getting lighter on Black
Friday.
Mayhem in the parking lot
of Menards.
Bargains for the early bird on
Black Friday.
By Tom Guttschow
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Order in Chaos
The jet black sedan unloads three
teenage males wearing baggy jeans, hoodies,
and tennis shoes. Today, Black Friday, Best
Buy will see an influx of clientele of this
genre. Entering the lot, there are lines, in different directions, of up to five cars in front of
the store at a standstill as they allow pedestrians the right-of-way entering and exiting the
Best Buy in Normal IL. Those entering the
store have nothing with them but those exiting the store carry bags full of electronics. Minivans of all different makes and colors dominate the parking lot. Finding a spot is usually
difficult at this Best Buy on an ordinary day,
but today parking was a virtual nightmare.
Cars could be found parked in places that
weren’t even parking spots as people rush to
get into the store.
Entering the store there are groups of
determined customers gathered around laptops, TVs, and many teens and confused looking parents gather around the aisles of video
games. Amongst the chaos there are many
children playing on the video game setups
scattered around the aisles of video games.
Those playing these games, and the occasional passerby, stare intently at the glowing
TV screens the games are being played on as
if these games are the only things going on at
the time.
A young blond haired, fair skinned
male child stands playing one of these
games. He plays a new Wii game, and all of
his attention is focused on the single task he
has in front of him. A woman standing across
the aisle talks sternly with a Best Buy employee about a laptop.
“I’m confused, I thought this laptop
had more power than this one.” She gestures
back and forth between the two laptops with
one hand as she holds a notepad in the other
that contains an extensive shopping list. Neither the mother nor child seems to notice
each other apart from the occasional look at
the mother by the child when he got to a stopping point in his game. The mother, with her
oversized purse slung over one shoulder, is
as focused on dealing with her laptop issue
and this Best Buy employee, as the child is on
his game.
All around there are Best Buy employees, wearing blue polos and khaki pants, interspersed in the crowds of determined customers dealing with issues not that different
than the one this particular woman was facing. The Best Buy employees also form a perimeter around the store keeping a watchful
eye on all the patrons, ready to spring into
action with any assistance they could offer.
Steven Black, a two year Best Buy employee, explained that, “There are way too
many questions to be asked by customers for
us (Best Buy) to not have a large amount of
staff on hand.” Steven Black a dark haired,
medium height college student bears the
same Best Buy garb as the rest of the staff
and also sports a sleek black headset.
There is a clear amount of order and
organization demonstrated by all the Best Buy
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Order in Chaos
employees. One enthusiastic Best Buy employee walks around talking to each employee telling each one of them a variation on
‘Great work, keep it up!’ and high fives them,
always with a smile on his face. In contrast,
there is a lack of order in the customers at
this Best Buy during this frantic Black Friday.
People can be found with confused looks on
their faces as they wander around looking at
the plethora of gaming choices. People can
be found picking up items in one aisle, deciding that wasn’t what they wanted, and putting
the item down in the complete wrong location
in another aisle. The overpowering majority of
the clientele though can be found moving at a
fast clip as they travel around the store hitting
all the aisles they need to, and picking up all
the items they want.
Those who had their plan set when
they entered the store, and were able to obtain the merchandise they wanted, with their
shopping expertise, now find their careful
planning to get out and onto the next store to
be in vain. Before them they find a bright and
bold red tape line adhered to the floor in long
arrows pointing the direction the line to the
registers was suppose to flow. On this line
stand countless customers with shopping
carts, arms, and strollers full of electronics
they plan to purchase. The red line weaves
through 5 different aisles near the front of the
store, laid on top of alternating 50’s diner
style black and white tiles.
“Our mission is to keep order with the
customers, and to be efficient,” states the
middle aged Best Buy assistant manager,
Jacob Stiley. He shows that the red line must
be working as he examines the line of customers demonstrating, as he states, “proper
line etiquette.”
The laptop toting mother with the oversized purse and her son join the end of the
line and while the now grumpy son whines
about wanting to go home to his mother, neither of them try to move ahead of people in
line or cause any issues with them at all.
While customers still flow into the store it has
be shown how order can be executed perfectly amongst the chaos of a Best Buy Black
Friday.
Fluorescent red tape guiding the
masses through chaos in Best Buy
By David Cooper
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Holiday Extravaganza
The recently resurfaced parking lot
was congested with cars, trucks, and SUVS of
all makes and models. Vehicles were driving
through each aisle like a cheetah stalking its
prey. The doors constantly opened and
closed, at Eastland Mall, as the customers
went in to find deals and came out with presents for their loved ones. The dark haired
woman, wearing a North face fleece jacket
and worn jeans, waited under a white sign
that said “Customer Pick up and Drop Off.”
She carried many bulging bags full of ready-to
-be wrapped gifts.
The wind howled causing customers
to wrap their sweatshirts and jackets even
tighter around their already warmly dressed
bodies. The sun did little to alleviate the bitter
cold temperatures shown by the red faces of
the mall’s consumers. Many individuals conversed about how they would spend their day.
They hurried into Bergner’s to get out of the
frigid winter afternoon.
There was little sign of the upcoming
holidays except for signs, on the doors, proclaiming “Give Joy.” On the inside of
Bergner’s, to make one feel at home, the employees had decorated by adding tall Christmas trees dressed in red and gold ornaments
and ribbon, presents wrapped neatly on tables, and wreaths hanging from the walls.
Mannequins were dressed in red and green;
the traditional colors of Christmas. Christmas
classics that suddenly had become less undesirable played over the sound system quietly
in the background.
Customers browsed through the endless rows of shelves and racks of clothing. A
man, in a black winter coat and tan cargo
pants, questioned a clerk about the sales
they offer during the afternoon. The clerk
was visibly stressed, and was overwhelmed
by the number of customers wanting his help.
Large signs, hanging above the racks and
shelves, advertised the deals offered in the
store:” 20% off 5-11 A.M. only” and “Buy one,
get one free.”
Outside the stores, the benches were
full of tired and weary people who are waiting
for their loved ones or taking a break from the
chaos of this busy day. There were families,
teens, couples, grandparents, seniors; all of
whom were going from store to store. The
families had strollers carrying their young children. Some of the children were becoming
tired and cranky which was evident by the
loud crying and whining: “Mommy, I don’t
wanna.” Some strollers were empty and instead filled with clothing, electronics, and
books that the consumers had purchased
from stores throughout the mall. The teens,
walking together into stores such as Hollister,
Abercrombie and Fitch, and Aeropostale,
were listening to their iPods oblivious to what
was happening around them. The seniors
moved slowly causing people to rush past
them.
Passersby carried a plethora of drinks
to relieve their parched bodies. Some patrons
bought coffee, lattés, and other coffee creations from Gloria Jeans. The aroma of coffee
permeated one’s sense of smell while coming
within view of the coffee shop. An older
woman sat outside the establishment conversing with a friend. Others ate at the
crowded food court and indulged in food from
Sbarro’s, Panda Express, Great Steak and Potato Company, as well as A &W.
Looking through the store windows,
there were lines snaking through the different
stores. Taped lines and temporary partitions
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Holiday Extravaganza
guide the customers to the registers. Merchandise cluttered the path to the registers
perfectly placed to try to make more money
off customers. There was the cling of cash
registers as the purchased goods were placed
into bags. Every so often, security alarms
screamed because an employee forgot to remove or disable the security device on the
purchased items. An African American male
searched frantically through his shopping bag
as he realized he may be the source of the
alarm. Onlookers searched for the source of
the clamor, and then quickly continued toward their destination once the noise subsided.
The mall had been transformed
for Christmas. Lights glittered from the ceiling
and twinkled like stars while holiday favorites
such as Hickory Farms and The Almond
Shoppe took the vacant kiosks. The smell of
these foods greeted customers as they purchased them.
The Meet and Greet Santa was set up
to entertain families with children. Kids eagerly begged their parents for a turn to talk to
Eastland Mall transformed for Christmas
by Santa’s helpers.
jolly Saint Nick. Artificial trees had been
adorned with red ribbon and ornaments of
different shapes and sizes. Cotton had been
strewn across the floor and transformed the
warm, Midwestern mall into the icy tundra of
the North Pole. Stuffed reindeer and miniature elves stood erect next to Santa. Santa
sat in his chair fit for a king, and on his lap
there was a blond haired girl wearing a Hannah Montana shirt.
“What do you want for Christmas, little
girl?” asked Santa.
“I want to meet Hannah Montana,”
she squealed while bouncing up and down.
Santa’s helper took her picture and helped
her off his lap when she was finished.
In Kohl’s, the eye catching, red, sale
signs attracted customers to each rack. Each
display, so carefully prepared, had been destroyed by customers trying to find the right
size, color, or design of shirt. One clerk had
found a woman’s brown leather purse on one
of these displays and was asking around for
Felicia Anderson, the name found on the
driver’s license. Simultaneously, on the intercom, a man said that Felicia Anderson’s
purse had been found and to come to the
Customer Service Desk to retrieve it.
The most infamous day after Thanksgiving was coming to an end, and people
started to leave. Many consumers had accomplished their goal, and found gifts for
their loved ones. They had numerous bags full
of presents to load into their cars and give
away. Now that the chaos and stress of Black
Friday was over they could go home and rest.
They could concentrate on what the holidays
really meant: the happiness, joy, and the
spirit of giving to others while spending time
with friends and family.
By Adam Haile-Mariam
9
Consumer Bliss
On a cold, dark morning in November, people
gathered in front of the entrance to Kohl’s. As
the potential customers stood, anxiously
awaiting their bargains, they were thinking
about what item they were going to run to
first, when suddenly, a Kohl’s employee walks
toward the door, and opens the floodgates as
the shoppers funnel in to begin their Black
Friday shopping.
Black Friday is typically the fifth to
tenth busiest shopping day of the year and
the Saturday before Christmas is typically the
busiest, despite what some people believe.
But stores do not open at five in the morning
the Saturday before Christmas, nor are the
deals usually as good, which makes Black Friday an unofficial holiday of sorts.
The name “Black Friday” dates back to
1966, when it was used by the Philadelphia
Police Department to describe the traffic jams
Checking out at the registers after a tiresome day.
Leaving with presents for their loved ones.
and overcrowded sidewalks due to the shopping. It was also used in the New York Times
in 1975 as the day between Thanksgiving
and the Army-Navy football game. Economists
see the term “Black Friday” as meaning black
ink, as in Black Friday is the day most retailers go from a yearly net-loss to a yearly netprofit.
The shoppers headed into the wild
white yonder that was Kohl’s with its fluorescent lights. The chaos was rather organized at
this point in the day, with people going about
their shopping normally, although at a faster
pace than normal. Bergner’s was much of the
same. People were scurrying about, but it was
not to be called “chaotic”.
The food court was actually open at
this time, albeit, only one restaurant was
open, the A&W out of all of the places. On
having to work at five in the morning, the
cashier had to say: “We’ve had a couple cus-
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Consumer Bliss
tomers, but I don’t know who would want
A&W at five AM. Oh well, at least I get paid for
this.”
At a local Denny’s restaurant, they
were experiencing a Black Friday rush as well.
The restaurant was full of people, some coming from shopping, some about to venture to
the mall for deals. Black Friday provides customer traffic for retail outlets and restaurants
as well.
“Black Friday is like swimming through
the masses of a material driven society,” said
one of the shoppers at Kohl’s at 9 o’ clock. At
this time, the mall was about twice as full as
it was at five in the morning. In Kohl’s the
lines were approaching lengths of 60 people.
By the time noon came around and all
of the early morning deals had expired, the
mall began to empty. Lines to checkout were
beginning to shrink, people were leaving, cars
were clearing out, and all was said and done
for the Black Friday of 2009. While being chaotic in the last half of the day, Black Friday in
Bloomington/Normal is not as chaotic as the
areas the media covers during Black Friday.
Anxious consumers waiting for the best sales of the year.
By Blake Reno
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Created By
David Cooper, Tom Guttschow, Blake Reno, Adam Haile-Mariam
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