Black Friday madness, explained

Why do Black Friday shoppers throw punches over bargains? A marketing expert explains 'psychological ownership' [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](. Edition: US 21 November 2018 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair [Support The Conversation and research-based journalism]( Editor's note It’s Black Friday, which means retailers across the country will be offering deep discounts on the latest electronics, that stylish leopard print sweater and pretty much everything else. Unfortunately, it can also mean flashes of anger and even fistfights as consumers compete for the limited number of products available at exceptionally low prices. Just consumers behaving badly? According to Colleen P. Kirk, [it has more to do]( with something marketers like her call “psychological ownership.” She explains the concept, how retailers use it to get you to buy their stuff and what you can do to keep it from souring your holiday shopping experience. Even if all goes smoothly as you’re bobbing and weaving among other Black Friday shoppers hunting out those bargains, you still have one last obstacle: the checkout line. University at Buffalo operations management expert Joost Vles walks through some of the basics of queuing theory. Bottom line on lines – when done right, [a long line can actually be good news](. And if in this holiday season, you are feeling sinful about making merry with that extra shot of alcohol, theologian Michael Foley writes about the “Godly men,” who not only preserved the study of wines, [but also “advanced it](.” Bryan Keogh Economics + Business Editor Top stories Don’t let go. AP Photo/Jeff Chiu [Why do Black Friday shoppers throw punches over bargains? A marketing expert explains ‘psychological ownership’]( Colleen P. Kirk, New York Institute of Technology Psychological ownership is that feeling that someone stole 'your' parking spot or nabbed the last sweater you had your eye on. We have a tendency to get territorial when we fell it's been violated. A long line might actually be the quickest line. AP Photo/Michael Dwyer [Why is this line so long?]( Joost Vles, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York Don't despair if, once you've gathered your shopping items, you're met by a single line that looks a mile long. Queuing theory suggests this is likely the fastest way to get you rung up and moving on. Pious drinking. Walter Dendy Sadler via Wikimedia Commons [Feeling guilty about drinking? Well, ask the saints]( Michael Foley, Baylor University For those wondering whether it is sinful to drink, even moderately, a scholar goes into the history of alcohol and its distillation to show how early monks and priests contributed to it. [Retail rage: Why Black Friday leads shoppers to behave badly]( Jaeha Lee, North Dakota State University A retail scholar explains what drives consumers to behave badly on one of the busiest shopping days of the year. [Cyber Monday gives a big boost to mobile commerce]( A. Ant Ozok, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Americans' reliance on their smartphones and tablets will drive online shopping revenue to new heights – and could introduce new buying experiences as well. [Singles Day shows China’s global retail power]( Venkatesh Shankar, Texas A&M University Chinese customers spend billions on Nov. 11. Why, and what does it mean for the global retail marketplace? [Machine learning and big data know it wasn’t you who just swiped your credit card]( Jungwoo Ryoo, Pennsylvania State University The end-of-year shopping whirlwind is underway. How does your credit card issuer watch out for fraudulent purchases on your account amid all those transactions? From our International Editions - [Study sheds light on scourge of “fake” news in Africa]( Herman Wasserman, University of Cape Town; Dani Madrid-Morales, University of Houston Disinformation in Africa often takes the form of extreme speech inciting violence and spreading racist, misogynous, xenophobic messages. - [Why Australian retailers should respect the past and rename their ‘Black Friday’ sales]( Daniel May, Australian National University We should remember past disasters - such as the 1939 Black Friday bushfires in which 71 people died - and learn from them. - [Car-free Paris? It was already a dream in 1790]( Arnaud Exbalin, Université Paris Nanterre – Université Paris Lumières The debate over the place of cars in cities may seem recent, but pamphlets published during the French Revolution show that the battle was raging before the first automobile even saw the light of day. Today’s quote ["Psychology research indicates that several factors determine which side of the shop-‘til-you-drop divide you land on. Some people just aren’t wired to enjoy the more social aspects of shopping."]( [The psychological differences between those who love and those who loathe Black Friday shopping]( Michael Breazeale Mississippi State University [Michael Breazeale] [Follow us on Twitter.]( [Join us on Facebook.]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe instantly](. We’ll miss you. 89 South Street - Suite 202 Boston, MA 02111