Crazy Black Friday Stats, Stories, and Videos

Black Friday turned out to be even better than expected for retailers but not so great for consumers. While surely there were deals to be had, excitement over big sales led to many dangerous situations. Here's the rundown on the biggest shopping day of the year:

Shoppers spent $11.4 billion on Black Friday and $52.4 billion over the entire weekend. A record-breaking total of 226 million people took out their wallets spending an average of $400 each. 90% of shoppers were hunting for gifts for themselves or their families. The top items apparently were boots, denim, corduroy, fine jewelry, and flat-screen TVs, while winter outerwear sales were disappointing, perhaps in part to abnormally warm weather.

Now for the injuries. By now you've probably heard about the woman who cleared a path to the Xbox display at Walmart in Porter Ranch, California by using pepper spray. She injured 20 people. A scuffle also broke out at a Walmart in San Leandro, California after a group of men demanded one family hand over their purchases. When the family refused, the father was shot and is currently in stable but critical condition. Gunfire also erupted at a shopping mall in Fayetteville, North Carolina, but thankfully there were no injuries. A man was stabbed outside Macy's at the Arden Fair Mall in Sacramento, California at 3 a.m. when a fight broke out. He was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Shoppers lined up early at the downtown New York Hollister store for what they thought was a midnight opening. At 1:15 am the angry shoppers learned that they had the wrong time and the store wouldn't be opening till 10 a.m. so they stormed through the front door in a fury looting as much clothing as they could carry. And lastly, a man was found dead at Target in South Charleston, West Virginia after suffering from heart problems. Instead of reporting the incident, shoppers stepped over his body to get to their desired merchandise.

If these reports aren't scary and sad enough, check out some of the biggest Black Friday mob scenes this year:

Did you brave the malls, or did you play it safe and shop online? Tell us your Black Friday stories or why you think the biggest shopping day of the year is consumerism at it's worst.

Related links:
7 Most Insane Black Friday Moments
Our Giant List of Cyber Monday Sales!
The Best Cyber Monday Beauty Deals