This was Black Friday that started at 5 p.m. on Thursday, allowing people 12 hours of extra shopping. The mad frenzy had already begun. Despite zero degree Celsius people were lining up outside their targeted shops to get the best bargains.

Outside an electronic shop, the first to arrive was a criminal justice student who in a ski mask looked more like a suspect. He had arrived at 9 pm on Wednesday night.Talking to Arab News, he said, “I arrived too soon, but I really want to buy the Panasonic 50 inch television which is on sale for $200. I will save about $350. The other advantage of being number one was I got to be interviewed by the local television station last night.”

Also wanting to buy the big screen TV was a Somali housewife. She was there since 5 a.m. Shaking and shivering, she moved constantly to keep warm. Behind her stood her mother, an old lady, wrapped up in a big blanket showing just her eyes. 'No! No! She said to being photographed. She had arrived an hour ago to check on her daughter who she thought was crazy as no Somalis did what she was doing. “She could have brought me something to eat,” the daughter complained.

“I haven't eaten anything for almost 12 hours, only had some hot cocoa. But the wait is worth it, everyone will enjoy the big screen TV later and will thank me for being crazy.”

Mohammad and Tariq were two post doctorate students from Egypt who were hoping to get $100 off the iPad air 2. “We are going back home in March so we came out to shop for ipads. They are very expensive in Egypt. We never get such discounts. But in Egypt at least you can pay someone to stand in line for you.”

At 5 p.m. the doors to the shop opened much to everyone's relief. There was a big crowd of employees, welcoming the customers. The few Muslim employees greeted the Muslim customers with “Assalam alaikum.”

John, an employee went around asking people if he could get them something, an Indian guy said, "Some hot tea or coffee,” John retorted, “I am not that generous. But I can get you any store product to buy.”

Adnan was there with his mother-in-law to buy a television. He bought a 40-inch TV "Insignia" but made his mother-in-law wait at the checkout while he ran over to the closeby Walmart to check out their television deals. He ran back in time to pay for the Insignia.

Walmart had a better deal, a 50-inch Emerson for $219 but it had bad reviews. Adnan had quickly compared the two products on his smart phone.

There was a big group of South Indian guys who were laughing, talking and buying a lot of products. They told Arab News, “We never took Black Friday seriously before. We would say the Americans are crazy to stand in such cold weather. Now we realize you can save a lot of money and it can be fun too. So you see more and more Indians queuing up each year.”

In Ferguson, Missouri, protesters began targeting Black Friday sales at major retailers overnight in a new tactic to vent their anger at a grand jury decision not to indict a white police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black teen.

Kicking off their latest strategy inside a Walmart in another nearby suburb of St. Louis, about 75 demonstrators protested peacefully, chanting "Hands up, don't shoot!", bemusing bargain-hunters pushing their brimming shopping carts.

The National Retail Federation forecasts holiday sales will grow 4.1 percent to $616.9 billion — the biggest jump since 2011.

In Britain, police blasted stores for bringing “Black Friday” to the country, with the US sales event descending into chaotic fist fights as frenzied consumers battled to grab discounted goods.

In scenes of pandemonium around the country, common civility went out the window as yelling customers punched it out in a bid to secure reduced-price televisions and coffee makers.