Makenna McGuire entered the Clackamas Town Center on Nov. 24, 2017 with excitement and eagerness. She waited outside of Victoria’s Secret as the line slowly moved toward the entrance of the store. McGuire knew the retail lines would be exceptionally long because it wasn’t just a regular Friday — it was Black Friday.

The Friday that follows Thanksgiving is commonly known as Black Friday. The day is notorious for shopping; in fact, the trend has spawned a whole weekend of sales that include Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. Customers will generally use the day to purchase Christmas gifts at a cheaper price. The Philadelphia Police Department first coined the term in 1966 because of all the traffic, commotion and injuries that occurred when customers went out to take advantage of the sales.

When McGuire finally entered the store, it was pure chaos. She made her way through the crowd and eventually found a grey scoop neck sweatshirt she wanted to purchase. Just as McGuire grabbed the item, an older woman appeared and began to take it out of her hands.

The hectic situation did not stop there; things continued to escalate between McGuire and the woman. She recalls the woman, “trying to pull it out of my hands using all of the force in her body.”

The older lady let go of the sweatshirt only to run over to an employee and claim McGuire harassed her and stole the item from her. The Victoria’s Secret employee had seen the entire situation unfold and ultimately asked the other woman to leave the store.

McGuire looks back at the situation with no hard feelings. She said that though it was a bizarre encounter, she still enjoys Black Friday and is planning to go this year with her friends.

The positive outcome of McGuire’s scuffle with a fellow Black Friday shopper cannot be said for all participants. Since 2010, there have been 10 deaths and 111 injures as a result of the holiday violence. Over 50 percent of the injures happened at Walmart; 30 percent of overall injuries are the result of trampling.  

Luckily, Oregonians are in a good position. According to Reviews.org, Oregon is the second-safest state to shop in during the holiday.

The Valley River Center will be open from 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. — adding two extra hours to its normal opening time. Walmart will open its doors from 6 a.m. – 12 a.m.

A message to all of the eager Black Friday shoppers: Victoria’s Secret will be offering 40 percent off of sleepwear, a free travel bag with the purchase of $75, buy one get one 50 percent off of bras and buy three panties get three free. Forever 21 will have a variety of sales on different items with discounts up to 80 percent in-store and online. Hollister will be offering 50 percent off of everything in-store and online. The sales are not limited to these stores; more information on specific bargains not mentioned can be found on the Valley River Center website.

For those who are going to participate in the holiday, celebrate the words of Fashion Police television host Joan Rivers, who has likely spent countless hours navigating deals and contemplating various purchases: “Thank God we’re living in a country where the sky’s the limit and the stores are open late.”