A Small-Biz Lesson in a Black Friday Crowd

This Black Friday I went at midnight to my local big box store.

Before you acuse me of hip-checking old ladies and pepper-spraying innocent bystanders to nab the last Furby, it wasn't because I was after some crazy holiday deals. I know better.

Really, I just wanted to see what it was like. I was drawn by curiousity out of the comfort of my own home before midnight to take a 20 minute drive downtown, just because I wanted to see what Black Friday was like.

And I was amazed.

A Cast of Thousands

At first, I just saw a lot of cars. Lots and lots of cars. And it was eerily quiet. I parked my car (about half a mile away from the store) and started hoofing it toward the main entrance. My view was obstructed until I came around the corner of the building -- and then I saw it.

Imagine, if you will, a building the size of a city block. Wrapped around this building were enough people to fill the store corner to corner -- twice. Three parking lots twice the size of the building itself -- filled with cars. Not one space available. Anywhere.

The corraling of over a thousand early-bird shoppers. The counting of heads to satisfy the weary-looking fire marshal. The ambulance jockeys sharing a coffee and shaking their heads at the relative politeness of those waiting in line. The police wandering along the line, telling jokes and handing out hand warmers to those who had to wait while the first 300 had their go.

I've never seen that before. Orchestrated insanity. Everybody was in on the joke of just how crazy this all was, but nobody was laughing.

I've had my fair share of consumer insanity; waiting outside in sub-zero weather for the Nintendo Wii comes to mind. Even so, I'd never seen so many people risking their health, risking their safety, risking their day jobs ... just to snag a chance at a deal.

Why We Wait

What could this big box store possibly even have left on its shelves after the first 300 wandered in? And what convinced those brave souls in lots 301-600 to stay in line?

I posit that consumers (and business owners) make quite a few high-risk decisions based on curiosity. If there's an answer as to how often this occurs, it's sure not on Google. I would venture that it occurs with a lot more frequency than any of us would like to admit.

That new peppermint-flavored eggnog at the store. That new 3D tv which requires no glasses and we're certain will give us headaches and vertigo. That new iPhone, which wasn't a 5, just a 4s.

The things we gamble on -- the risks we take, whether as business owners, consumers, or employers -- almost always pay off in one of two ways.

They either pay off in the knowledge that the status quo is the status quo for a reason (at least for now) or they pay off for us when the gamble works in ways we hadn't even expected. Jackpot.

That new employee becomes a rockstar sales guru to rep the company. That new iPhone 4s revolutionizes your morning routine and allows you an extra hour of productivity while sipping coffee at the breakfast bar because you can talk to it instead of type into it.

That 3D tv that made you enjoy Glee so much that you swore off all other shows and saved an hour every night. Being #601 in line at the big box store meant you got a shot at the thing you wanted. Too bad, #602. Too bad.

What I'm trying to say is this: Take risks. It's why we're all in business.

The status quo is only profitable until the next big thing comes along. The only real risk is waiting too long.