freewargamesrules | 28 Nov 2014 12:08 p.m. PST |
So another Americanism has been adopted in the UK and there have been several disturbances in stores where the Police have been called. Some shoppers have had broken bones for fighting and several arrests made! Hope they stop this before Thanksgiving is forced upon us too. |
Editor in Chief Bill | 28 Nov 2014 12:26 p.m. PST |
What do you have against turkey? |
parrskool | 28 Nov 2014 12:28 p.m. PST |
It was only this year that I discovered that the 27th is also Lancashire Day……. now I know what to give thanks for…….. I'm from Yorkshire ! |
Silurian | 28 Nov 2014 12:31 p.m. PST |
Who's going to stop the rampant advance of capitalism? :) Shops see an opportunity; shoppers see the chance of a bargain. That said, I'm sure it won't get to the crazy levels of over here (I'm one of those who has a nice comfy lay-in). Thanksgiving on the other hand is rather specific to this country. It would be kind of like Guy Fawkes night coming over here. Unlikely I would imagine. It would be far preferable to Black Friday though. Getting together with the family, and good eating. |
alien BLOODY HELL surfer | 28 Nov 2014 12:36 p.m. PST |
turkey is for Christmas Bill! |
General Jumbo | 28 Nov 2014 12:45 p.m. PST |
In UK, turkey is consumed in large quantities mostly at Christmas. Thanksgiving is entirely an American celebration, and holds no particular place in the history of UK. As for the antics at supermarkets and so on today, the pictures on my telly showed the revolting behaviour of slavering hordes with way too much money in their pockets. The only difference from across the water is that earlier this week they were storming the shops WITHOUT money in their pockets! |
Black Cavalier | 28 Nov 2014 1:58 p.m. PST |
"holds no particular place in the history of UK" Why not? The Pilgrams were still English when they had Thanksgiving. But I did find it notable that UK companies had started to follow the unfortunate trend of the sales. |
Zargon | 28 Nov 2014 3:23 p.m. PST |
Bring back the inquisition. and a penny for the Martyr, Guido Fawkes, a true seeker of fairness and justice :/. OK enough of this nonsense and on to the real useful Black Friday sales, we Brits do like the specials given by all the gaming companies (in the UK and the US) just as muck as our Yankee cousins. See BF has its good sides all over the world too :) and soon on to Boxing day and after sales (which can be exported on to our gaming brothers in the US too :) Cheers happy buying folks |
Leeds Wargames Club | 28 Nov 2014 4:12 p.m. PST |
It only really started 4 years ago with Amazon, as people outside the US where trying to get the sale items on the US site, so they had a mini sale on Amazon.co.uk, now everyone is in on it. |
Bob the Temple Builder | 28 Nov 2014 4:33 p.m. PST |
Just how many 42-inch plasma TVs does a single person need? Seemingly at least two … judging by the ones I saw in shopping trollies being wheeled across supermarket car parks! I wonder if the police who were called in by supermarkets to control the hordes will charge the shops? The Police charge football clubs for doing crowd control, so I don't see why they shouldn't do the same to these shops. |
Cyrus the Great | 28 Nov 2014 9:27 p.m. PST |
Guy Fawkes Day in the U.S. would be great. An excuse to have fireworks in the fall. |
Herkybird | 29 Nov 2014 12:43 a.m. PST |
I am still confused why Guy Fawkes day is, or was, celebrated with burning an efigy of him? – the poor guy was apparently ritually dismembered to death (yuk!) |
freewargamesrules | 29 Nov 2014 3:22 a.m. PST |
Some of the footage shown on UK news looked like a trailer for World War Z. ….oh and up until about 15 years ago we didn't have trick or treating. Maybe we will become the 51st State (which would be better than be part of the EU). |
FleaMaster | 29 Nov 2014 5:12 a.m. PST |
….oh and up until about 15 years ago we didn't have trick or treating. Maybe we will become the 51st State (which would be better than be part of the EU). We did, at least around here we did (late 60s for me), except it was called "guising", and it involved dressing up and calling at random doors and singing or telling jokes in exchange for fruit or sweets. If you'd tried any of the demands with menaces you'd have experienced first strike capability!! |
legatushedlius | 29 Nov 2014 5:54 a.m. PST |
I have put a one month moratorium on buying anything from any firm that bombarded my inbox with Black Friday notices. It is unwanted and un-British. Everyone knows the sales are supposed to start on Boxing Day. Much better to spend our time burning effigies of Catholics. |
Zargon | 29 Nov 2014 9:14 a.m. PST |
Oh cumon gents, the US is the fifth part of the UK, everyone knows that except the Americans that is :+) Anyway any Philip K Dick fan knows the whole world ends up being a replication of Los Angeles being perpetually rained on and hazy :) 'see Blade Runner' the movie. Cheers all it is the holiday period do enjoy. |
Dynaman8789 | 29 Nov 2014 10:01 a.m. PST |
Two things. 1 – Considering the madness that attends Black Friday sales you are better off without THAT particular tradition. Even worse is that stores are now open on Thanksgiving (Granted, not applicable to the UK but this WAS the ONE and only day when it was possible for most everyone in the country to gather round and celebrate a US holiday). 2 – Since you do give gifts on Christmas over in the UK why would sales beforehand be unwelcome? (with the exception of point 1 and madness of course) |
Jefthing | 29 Nov 2014 4:42 p.m. PST |
Waitrose is trying to push Thanksgiving in their magazine this week (yes, I have finally become middle class). According to the article, interest is growing in the UK and seems to be especially popular in Cambridgeshire. Perhaps US students in Cambridge and the large number of US servicemen in East Anglia have something to do with it! From what I could see on the box, ASDA/wallmart were positively encouraging the chaos, time which would be better spent sorting out their diseased poultry. Still, one little victory for keeping our traditions: I managed to halt the spread of Trick or Treat in our road be dressing up as Jimmy Savile. |
JezEger | 29 Nov 2014 5:06 p.m. PST |
Nearest thing in the UK to Thanksgiving is the Harvest Festival at the end of September. Not really a family thing though, but I remember we took baskets of fruit and veg to old folks when I was at school. BTW Jefthing- if you think making jokes about a sick pedo who raped and assaulted over 450 kids as young as 8 is funny, you are mistaken. |
alien BLOODY HELL surfer | 30 Nov 2014 3:07 a.m. PST |
'From what I could see on the box, ASDA/wallmart were positively encouraging the chaos' my local store was civilised, bar some fat cow on how mobile barging me out the way so she could see the price of something, and the Watford store had put up barriers to corral folk so it wasn't like the TV footage – which, looked surprisingly staged in the Wembley store shown. What I did notice from the majority of the footage, was most people seemed to be low income / not working / Jeremy Kyle types* who were piling in, and a lot of the stuff being sold was cheap brands not normally on sale. Also, lots of stores were cynical about pricing. Richer sounds in Watford had a decent TV down from £399.00 GBP to a mere £379.00 GBP – ok, only £20.00 GBP saving. They did not answer the phone at all, ignored any voicemails left and then on Saturday the price was back up – but to OVER it's original price with a reply of 'Tough' when questioned. Lots of companies websites crashed too due to demand and at least some are offering the deals for a few more days as an apology. *think the type that go on Jerry Springer – IE scum. think it is a terrible tradition we can do without. |
Jefthing | 30 Nov 2014 12:06 p.m. PST |
I certainly wouldn't put it past TV news teams to pick a spot where trouble is expected. With the amount of pointless outside broadcasts you see now coupled with the ease by which you can film (only needs a cameraman) you can easily get the footage you want. They do it every year in January, so no reason why this should be different. Sadly, there is an increase in adopting US traditions here so long as it involves consumption: ToT, the OTT prom nights (something I'm worried might be totally out of control in 10 years…) and now Black Friday. It's down to whatever the supermarkets want to push and whatever dopey consumers buy into. God knows, the stupidest thing I've seen locally is a prom at a pre-school, but we get the society we deserve. That's my 2p on this subject so I'll duck out now in case I get doghoused. BTW Jez: it's paedo. |
Cerdic | 30 Nov 2014 4:25 p.m. PST |
I liked Ian Hislop's comment on the recent rise of trick or treating in Britain. He said we don't need it because we have our own perfectly good tradition at that time of year which involves burning a catholic! |