AP: ‘How Did Black Friday Devolve Into This?’
- Posted on November 27, 2011 at 12:43am by
Scott Baker
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Officers gather evidence, including a bloody shirt, at the scene of a shooting at Walmart in San Leandro, California (AP)
NEW YORK (AP) — Pepper-sprayed customers, smash-and-grab looters and bloody scenes in the shopping aisles. How did Black Friday devolve into this?
As reports of shopping-related violence rolled in this week from Los Angeles to New York, experts say a volatile mix of desperate retailers and cutthroat marketing has hyped the traditional post-Thanksgiving sales to increasingly frenzied levels. With stores opening earlier, bargain-obsessed shoppers often are sleep-deprived and short-tempered. Arriving in darkness, they also find themselves vulnerable to savvy parking-lot muggers.
Add in the online-coupon phenomenon, which feeds the psychological hunger for finding impossible bargains, and you’ve got a recipe for trouble, said Theresa Williams, a marketing professor at Indiana University.
“These are people who should know better and have enough stuff already,” Williams said. “What’s going to be next year, everybody getting Tasered?”
AP
Across the country on Thursday and Friday, there were signs that tensions had ratcheted up a notch or two, with violence resulting in several instances.
A woman turned herself in to police after allegedly pepper-spraying 20 other customers at a Los Angeles-area Walmart on Thursday in what investigators said was an attempt to get at a crate of Xbox video game consoles. In Kinston, N.C. a security guard also pepper-sprayed customers seeking electronics before the start of a midnight sale.
In New York, crowds reportedly looted a clothing store in Soho. At a Walmart near Phoenix, a man was bloodied while being subdued by police officer on suspicion of shoplifting a video game. There was a shooting outside a store in San Leandro, Calif., shots fired at a mall in Fayetteville, N.C. and a stabbing outside a store in Sacramento, N.Y.
“The difference this year is that instead of a nice sweater you need a bullet proof vest and goggles,” said Betty Thomas, 52, who was shopping Saturday with her sisters and a niece at Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh, N.C.
The wave of violence revived memories of the 2008 Black Friday stampede that killed an employee and put a pregnant woman in the hospital at a Walmart on New York’s Long Island. Walmart spokesman Greg Rossiter said Black Friday 2011 was safe at most of its nearly 4,000 U.S. stores despite “a few unfortunate incidents.”
Black Friday — named that because it puts retailers “in the black” — has become more intense as companies compete for customers in a weak economy, said Jacob Jacoby, an expert on consumer behavior at New York University.
The idea of luring in customers with a few “doorbuster” deals has long been a staple of the post-Thanksgiving sales. But now stores are opening earlier, and those deals are getting more extreme, he said.
“There’s an awful lot of psychology going on here,” Jacoby said. “There’s the notion of scarcity — when something‘s scarce it’s more valued. And a resource that can be very scarce is time: If you don’t get there in time, it’s going to be gone.”
There’s also a new factor, Williams said: the rise of coupon websites like Groupon and LivingSocial, the online equivalents of doorbusters, which usually deliver a single, one-day offer with savings of up to 80 percent on museum tickets, photo portraits, yoga classes and the like.
The services encourage impulse buying and an obsession with bargains, Williams said, while also getting businesses hooked on quick infusions of customers.
“The whole notion of getting a deal, that‘s all we’ve seen for the last two years,” Williams said. “It‘s about stimulating consumers’ quick reactions. How do we get their attention quickly? How do we create cash flow for today?”
To grab customers first, some stores are opening late on Thanksgiving Day, turning bargain-hunting from an early-morning activity into an all-night slog, said Ed Fox, a marketing professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Midnight shopping puts everyone on edge and also makes shoppers targets for muggers, he said.
In fact, robbery appeared to be the motive behind the shooting in San Leandro, about 15 miles east of San Francisco. Police said robbers shot a victim as he was walking to a car with his purchases around 1:45 a.m. on Friday.
“There are so many hours now where people are shopping in the darkness that it provides cover for people who are going to try to steal or rob those who are out in numbers,” Fox said.
The violence has prompted some analysts to wonder if the sales are worth it, and what solutions might work.
In a New York Times column this week, economist Robert Frank proposed slapping a 6 percent sales tax on purchases between 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving and 6 a.m. on Friday in an attempt to stop the “arms race” of earlier and earlier sales.
Small retailers, meanwhile, are pushing so-called Small Business Saturday to woo customers who are turned off by the Black Friday crush. President Barack Obama even joined in, going book shopping on Saturday at a small bookstore a few blocks from the White House.
“A lot of retailers, independent retailers, are making the conscious decision to not work those crazy hours,” said Patricia Norins, a retail consultant for American Express.
Next up is Cyber Monday, when online retailers put their wares on sale. But on Saturday many shoppers said they still prefer buying at the big stores, despite the frenzy.
Thomas said she likes the time with her sisters and the hustle of the mall too much to stay home and just shop online.
To her, the more pressing problem was that the Thanksgiving weekend sales didn’t seem very good.
“If I’m going to get shot, at least let me get a good deal,” Thomas said.
___
Associated Press Writers Julie Walker in New York, Christina Rexrode in Raleigh, N.C., John C. Rogers in Los Angeles and Terry Tang in Phoenix contributed to this report
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Comments (162)
Bronco II
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 7:07amThe ten commandments are for these type of people those who are children of GOD don’t do these things.The only thing that was done away with on the cross was the blood ordinances how many know the difference between LAW,STATUTES,ORDINANCES from GODS WORD not many.Jesus didn’t come to destroy the law but to FULFILL IT.Many are so biblicaly void it’s sad.Christ was our one for all and last sacrafice for all of us to take away our sins.The Law is good it’s man ( no gender in GODS VOCABULARY ) who is bad that includes women too.I didn’t know we could still steal,murder and so on NO we can’t so those who say all was done away with when Christ died do so with ignorance with all due respect.READ GODS WORD don’t cherry pick you might learn TRUTH.
Report Post »TDOM
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 6:19amPure Evil Greed – yuk
Report Post »cessna152
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 7:02amThis is all Jesus’ fault because of his birthday and all that… see, Christians are evil!
Report Post »408 CheyTac
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 10:26pmGotta be George Bush’s fault
Report Post »Polwatcher
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 5:50amWe have now 3 generations of kids that were raised under the rules (or lack thereof) set forth by Dr. Spock. There is no discipline and there are no rules to live by. Kids are not taught manners. They are not taught to behave. They don’t respect their elders. Is this result any surprise here…especially when egged on by TV cameras.
Report Post »jujubeebee
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 6:12amDISAGREE: I don’t think this was Dr. Spock’s generation. The self esteem entitlement generation are the spawns that are occupying wall street…….not the Dr. Spock generation. These are the 20, 30 somethings….not the 50, 60 somethings that are the main groups here. It is too bad people cannot just shop in peace….and go look for the bargains in peace. Obummer started this with his class warfare rhetoric and the idiot kids who were primed by the people backing Obama jumped onto it hook line and sinker.
Report Post »coindexter
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 11:38ampeople can shop in peace…but you have to move to where the peace is.
Report Post »smokie
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 11:52amWhat ho, Jeeves! I think you hit the mark. I read that stinking book to see what the gig was all about. My mother used it for my sister, but tossed it aside for my brother and I. We use the info from that book to crush her selfish soul.
Report Post »I am the anti- Dr. Spock, complete with goatee and agonizer.
1WingedAngel
Posted on November 28, 2011 at 4:07amI agree with Jujubeebee on this. You can’t just blame TV as if that solves all the problems in society. If that is the case, you would be a brain-dead, mental reject just like them. Hell, we all would. Although that is not to say that TV is blameless. However, the reason these young people are so selfish and greedy is systemic problem and CANNOT be fixed overnight. Playing the blame game and being irresponsible with ourselves, our families, communities, and final our financial spending has lead us to fall astray. We pretended to: see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil. So, in those who know nothing, evil doesn’t exist. We sat back as we allow our government to dictate to us how to eat, how to live, and how to raise our kids! It‘s time to wake up and realize that laying the blame on a person or entity doesn’t work. Plus if your so interested in our youth, why don’t you help fix the problem instead of complaining about it.
Report Post »darthtyran
Posted on November 28, 2011 at 6:00amIronically Dr. Spock admitted he was wrong on many counts…but his repenting came far too late.
Report Post »Thevoice
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 5:49amLook …Simple …You have a mental disorder or are 17-24 with nothing else to do…To camp out at Best Buy for some junk . Or push and shove your way to a x box game at Walmart …All the comments the past couple of days are spot on …..You just wait to see what happens with food…Weather its the quantity or price…When Europe blows up this week ..We will be right behind …
Report Post »orionreplay6607
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 5:46amDevolve? Why? Selfish greed. It used to be one would be shopping for cousin Bob, brother Jack, or uncle Jim. Now the sales are clearly aimed not at family gifts, but at individual wants and desires. New flat screen television… $299 for you and you alone! Hurry up, the clock’s ticking and we only have 10 at that price! And look at you, you are number 11!
No one buys a $299 flat screen television for their sister or brother. It’s for themselves. When it’s for yourself, you don’t just feel “Awh… they ran out… guess I get Jim something else” – you feel slighted, you feel angry, you feel like someone got something for themselves that was supposed to be for you. The anger builds. Your anger makes you think you can get the edge by knocking down folks or by pepper spraying others.
But if you just stood back for one moment, you‘d realize it’s just a damn television that the day before was on sale for $350. Or if you just waited for the Super Bowl sales? The mother of all television sales weekends.
Report Post »jujubeebee
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 6:17amI would not go that far to call shopping on Black Friday selfish greed. It is not selfish greed. You sound like Obummer with the class warfare rhetoric. People should be able to shop….and do it in peace….wait in line and buy and save the small amount extra they would save. The top percent are not the ones out there trying to get a bargain. They will pay retail price or shop online to save themselves the aggravation. I don’t think it is fair to classify everyone who shops on Black Friday as being selfish or greedy.
Report Post »demint.disciple
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 8:25am@JUJUBEEBEE.. You seem to be an expert on this “Black Friday ” shopping.. Telling everyone DISAGREE or YOU’RE WRONG …You’re not the one that runs around with the pepper spray are you ?
Report Post »orionreplay6607
Posted on November 28, 2011 at 5:35amJuJu,
Report Post »You clearly did not read my comment before commenting, along with your other 100 or so contrary comments to others in this thread. I don’t even see how you could correlate my words with present Administration and class warfare. It’s so obtuse, it’s like saying I hate Black Friday because I like oranges. The question was asked, How did we devolve into this? And I answered greed. But I also state it was not always this way. I’m all for the sales and the deals. We choose to go to the Christmas Tree farm ourselves on Black Friday. Much quieter.
Founding Father2
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 5:01amTALK ABOUT THE BIGGEST DEVOLUTION, LOOK AT THE OCCUPY BLACK FRIDAY MOVEMENT: http://www.americanparchment.com/video/2011/nov/black_friday_occupy.html
They are fools with a twisted way of looking our America’s greatness in Capitalism
Report Post »RossPoldark
Posted on November 28, 2011 at 12:14amFunny how these idiots say corporations like Wal mart are greedy, but they forget the multitudes Wal Mart employs!! Many will be able to pay bills and food on the table, thanks to Wal Mart.
Report Post »toomuchgovt
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 4:41amThe picture speaks volumes. These men look like they are there ready for a brawl not to shop. I don’t see any woman in the photo, it is a majority of men. When do men go shopping? When the stores opened at 10 pm or midnight, I stayed away, my thought was people might be drinking alcohol. Good for sales (people don’t think when they are drunk), bad for sober people or anyone else in this frenzy of madness.
Report Post »RossPoldark
Posted on November 28, 2011 at 12:18amI have never gone to these Black Friday sales. There are other sales through out the year. Black Friday brings out the some of the worst caliber of people, just like the ones on the videos. Mind you, I am one of the real 99%, who has to work every day to put food on the table. It is sad that society is devolving to a primitive cave man state.
Report Post »grayling646
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 4:28amKmart use to have ‘Blue Light Specials’. Some tables had blue lights wired to them and if the light came on you’d get a discount on the items on the table. You never, and I mean never, saw any men near those tables. If you got caught near one when the light came on, you were on your own.
Report Post »Servant Of YHVH
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 4:47amThe way that I see it, the stores that have trouble in their stores are asking for it for their promotion of this day trying to get people into a frenzy that causes stuff like this to happens. Also, these people that get injured and all this because they are fighting each other over some stupid item deserves what they get as well. I hate to sound and be so “hard-hearted” but logically and by common sense what I said makes perfect sense and shows the truth of what I said. What you sow, you shall reap.
Report Post »Ming The Merciless
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 8:31pmSometimes I feel the stores should be held accountable for creating these situations of a drastically reduced price and there’s only 10 available for the rush on Black Friday. It’s like the stores are creating the environment for people to go berserk.
Report Post »FLDeb
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 4:25amI have never shopped on black friday, but I have had to work it several times. What I observed is that the majority of those people I would never want to be around. Never saw so many greedy, mean, nasty, selfish people in my life. Maybe in real life they do not behave that way, but the greed brings it out of them on that day.
Report Post »grayling646
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 4:30amIs it possibly because materialism is their god?
Report Post »Jayde5
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 5:15amAfter 9-11, Bush W said to go shopping — Most GOP claim Capitalism is King – then at the same time do all they can, while telling all that they are worthless if they don’t have things, to undermine the majority of workers, outsource jobs, condone th theft of 401Ks and pensions, then even turn around and tell the struggling it is also somehow their fault – meanwhile the storytellers and too often lawbreakers are rolling in the majorities tax dollars, donations, tax cuts, $ because they AREN”T paying taxes thanks to offshoring and tariff law changes. Unless you are maming 205K a year PROFIT (meaning after expenses and taxes, if you even pay US taxes that is) you are a fool to keep supporting those that are rodding you. I know the idea i that all have an equal chance to be one of them, but they only keep telling that story because they know it’s Complete BS!
Report Post »jujubeebee
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 6:24amJayde5, you have been buying into the BS more than most but are so arrogant you can’t see it.
The housing bubble was created by the Democrats with the Community Reinivestment Act under Jimmy. It takes a while for those bubbles to burst.
Report Post »You can’t spend yourself out of debt….no matter who says it…..Democratic or Republican.
And if you want to make it to the top and you have to know how to compete and quit whining.
Dougalug
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 4:09amWhat they don`t mention is how all these crazed shoppers are obummer supporters!
Report Post »Jayde5
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 5:05amWhere do you get that from? Did FOX ‘news’ tell you that?
Report Post »stogieguy7
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 10:14amHis eyes, plus demographic voting stats from 2008 told him that. Duh!
Report Post »Bakko Bomma
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 4:00amJust wait til the economy crashes.
Report Post »Jayde5
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 5:04amAre you really that unaware? The economy already crashed – 2008, after several years of warnings – and now Obama stopped the hemorrhaging of jobs however as much as he gives in to the GOP demands, against his supporters desires, he is still blamed for that he has nothing to do with. Seriously?!?? He has still done monumental things despite the OPENLY ADMITTED goal of doing all that will make Obama look bad and keep him from accomplishing anything in the hopes that the uninformed will then elect those that caused the problems in the first place. Pleas e- if you care about the US and are a patriot – start reading and watching – question and do what is right – not just want you are told to believe!
Report Post »Bakko Bomma
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 6:26pmYou aint seen nothin yet.
Report Post »HPC172ERTAV
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 9:47pmGood lord Jayde5 however did you survive Jonestown? Uh shut down the Gulf and let other counties drill there, kick the can on a pipeline that would create thousands of jobs. Impose massive regulations on business. Screw up the bankruptcy system and put bonds as a safe investment in question. Give billions to HIS wall street cronies. All to save a few what Acorn rebranded jobs (supported of course by tax and borrowed dollars)?
Report Post »Try reading someone other than Krugman who has never ONCE been right.
tbear44
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 3:45amAnyone who participates in these big sales at ungodly hours of the day deserves whatever they get.
Report Post »SerikFox
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 3:01amI don’t understand these people. It’s just stuff. Money. Whatever. Yes, you must have money to survive, but if all you do is care about money, then you don‘t need to survive because you’re not really alive.
Report Post »onebigassmistakeamerica
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 3:51amWhy stop at six percent? Why not 100%?
Look, people can decide for themselves how important it is to buy some stupid crap at 1 a.m. when they should be sleeping. If they want to put themselves in that position, let ‘em.
Don’t punish people trying to make money because they know folks are dumb. ;)
Report Post »LaBelle
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:55amSheer lunacy. Nothing is worth that BS.
Report Post »Findalis
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:49am“Pepper-sprayed customers, smash-and-grab looters and bloody scenes in the shopping aisles. How did Black Friday devolve into this?”
Have you never seen Bloomingdale‘s bargain basement in the 1960’s and 70′s? Believe me, this was very tame compared to that.
Report Post »Jayde5
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 5:08amThere are always those that go too far – however, we need to look at the history. If people weren’t struggling just to survive, maybe they wouldn’t feel so disparate. Would I do this? NO! However, anyone aware of the human condition as well as the conditioning that our society has had over the years, sadly, it isn’t as much of a mystery as it should be.
Report Post »deeberj
Posted on November 28, 2011 at 3:48pmJayde5 – “If people weren’t struggling just to survive, maybe they wouldn’t feel so disparate.”
Sorry, the people out shopping for black friday weren’t fighting over food or the money to pay their rent. That is survival. They were fighting over goods that are not necessary. It is not NECESSARY to have a large TV. It is not even NECESSARY to have a TV. It is not NECESSARY to have an X-box. Trust me, you will still be able to live without a gaming system.
Report Post »I
If however I take what you say as truth, they are struggling to survive so they feel desparate….just don’t buy Xmas gifts this year. Just pay your bills and buy food instead. Just prioritize.
Firebrand
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:41amThe true issue is that it isn’t about shopping for other people. Most of the BF shoppers we talked to were buying for themselves. If people were out trying to score gifts for “Uncle Max” instead of themselves, it wouldn’t be worth it to go out early, in the cold and dark. We personally experienced people pushing and cutting in line at the check-out.
One particularly rude gentleman pushed past us to get in front of us at the check out line. Then a girl from a different counter said we could come over to her empty register. The gentleman then cut us off again to get into her line. Turns out that he had grabbed the wrong “door-buster” item. When he went back it was gone. We got out of the store before him. Sometimes, things just work out… =o)
Report Post »shotzie
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:51amFIREBRAND – An unwelcome trend we have noticed over 15 years of Black Friday shopping (which IS for our Christmas gifts for family and friends) is that many people we chat with in lines are buying to re-sell on eBay or Craigslist, etc., buying cheap to resell later at a profit. I think some of that as well has added to the increase in some of the craziness. Also this year, with the stores opening at 10 p.m., the crowd was totally different. Usually at 6 am on Friday morning, you used to mostly see women (mother’s generally) out shopping for the family, but because this year the mall was open all night, there were huge groups of teens out that you could tell were simply out to be out at the mall at midnight, not family Christmas shopping.
Report Post »PATRIOTGRUNT
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 3:03amFIREBRAND : You are sad sad individual. Any one that joined you @ the BF idiot shopping mayhem is also sad.
Report Post »MarsBarsTru7
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:40am*Yawn* Melodramatic news for melodramatic reactions. The vast majority of people are simply determined shoppers. The experience is no worse than it has been in the past. The only thing that made this year different is that there were OWS idiots in front of some businesses.
Overall, what is – has been. Not unique to these times, not a tragedy, and not newsworthy.
Report Post »rogue operator
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 4:32amBeautifully put. The AP story is the combination of multiple typical traits of the lamestream media: 1) Anti-capitalism 2) Crisis-mongering 3) Argument by anecdote (for example, this was one of the weakest Black Fridays in recent memory) 4) Sensationalism 5) Demoralize the public sentiment about the country and 6) Denigrate the Christmas season.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=z6hvmWDYiCY
Report Post »4stmichael
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:37amNewt Gingrich defined the modern definition of pursuit of happiness as opposed to how it was understood and defined at our nation’s founding.
The modern definition seems to have played out rather nicely with a grade of A+ Acquisition/Hedonism.
The original definition was Freedom FOR pursuit of virtues, in the home, in the schools, in the market place.
We were given a great Grace, Freedom FOR performing our duties in life and worship of our Creator.
Through our own sloth we have allowed the ugliness to be planted, take root, and grow into the poisonous pursuit of passing pleasures, escapism into electronic diversions, and freedom FROM our duties in life and worship of our Creator.
The Third Great Awakening is Here.
Report Post »Cavetroll
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:36amWhy have “humans” turned in to such animals, that they would Taze, pepper spray, threaten with weapons and push small children out of the way (not that they should be there) People screaming across the aisles, doing anything they can think of to cut in line, scream at employees and treat other shoppers as though they re inferior. Black Friday should be blacked OUT!!!
Report Post »Carlito12
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:36amSocialism, plain and simple.
Report Post »Cold War Vet
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:36amI blame individual stupidity. What lack of self-control these inbreds have just flies out the window. I flat refuse to be a part of it.
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:41amBut isn’t collective stupidity more effective than individual stupidity?
Remember, the stupidity of the many outweigh the stupidity of the one.
Report Post »darkloch
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:35amgreed is what happens when you have a small mind… like ring bell we start to salivate. no self control, no pride in ones self, and the belief that i should have everything. look at it this way, the little greedy people are protesting the big greedy people…
Report Post »shotzie
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:32amMaybe I just live in a peaceful part of the country but I saw none of this. My family has been Black Friday shopping together for about 15 years. Wear matching shirts and everything. This year we were out at 10 p.m. Thanksgiving Day (we do our feast on Sat. each year due to family members work schedules) until 5:30 a.m. on Friday. The Wal-mart we shop at had handed out printouts stating they would have 66 XBox Kinex at a special price. 2 of our family members waited in line for 2-1/2 hours at spot #27, then a worker announced they only had 24. People were angry but no one was hurt. The only incident I heard of of someone being hurt in our area was a store where an idiot electronics dept. employee rolled out a pallet of video game’s that were $1.99 and simply said “go for it”. A woman was injured in the rush. If you know where to avoid it can be a great, fun, wonderful together time. This year instead of just our yearly Black Friday lunch at Longhorn’s we were able to also have a middle of the night meal at Waffle House & snack at Krispy Kreme. But then we are not out to get the “greatest cheapest biggest” deals, just to have a good time together. I was however carrying my firearm in my pocketbook and was very aware of our surroundings as we walked through any parking lot. I don’t think anyone should shop in the middle of the night alone. We go as a large group. We are lucky, in my area it’s more of a festive atmosphere than a cut-throat one.
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:11amI Blame Canada.
Report Post »tbear44
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 3:43amIt‘s Bush’s fault.
Report Post »grayling646
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 4:36amDamn Republicans!!!
Report Post »voodoolife
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 12:09pmGotta be Ron Paul…
Report Post »USAMEDIC3008
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:10amGreed
Report Post »