As far as black Friday behavior goes, it’s just basic human nature. You put a bunch of people in a position where they’ve been listening to hype for weeks, they’ve been waiting in line for hours, their adrenaline is flowing, the moment they’ve been waiting and preparing for arrives, and they can’t think of their fellow man any more, only the coveted goal that awaits them if they push and run and grab. So they push and run and grab.
It doesn’t take much to make humans, especially in a group, act irrationally. They’ve certainly been doing it since long before any of the aforementioned chemicals were invented.
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That’s really an unsatisfying explanation (and largely incorrect) and really only address potential behavior in the moment. In the midst of a mob scene – well that part of the behavior is well understood.
The real question is that given a choice to be home in bed (for most), why do some people choose in some cases to camp out on a cold sidewalk for days just to save a few bucks (maybe…). Or wait in line for hours on end in the cold to get a shot of saving a few messily bucks in most cases. Often just for ‘stuff’ – so it’s not for survival.
Q: What reasoning sets in motion that makes Black Friday so appealing in the 1st place? Is it the hype? No, not really.
A: It’s an addiction – an addiction to consumerism and the drive to maintain an illusion of a living standard that is not sustainable.
Could that addiction and illusion be partially induced by chemicals, much like a smoker is addicted to cigarettes via nicotine. Diminishing ones ability to make rational choices. Sure, it is possible.
In the face of declining buying power, many people/families are willing to resort to basic behaviors to feed the addiction and maintain the illusion.
