The Black Friday deals, as employed by American giant Wal-Mart have escalated into something dark and sad, as hundreds of bargain hunters physically brawl to get their hands on some discounted stuff.

Footage uploaded to Youtube shows people scrambling after heavily reduced goods: in this case, top of the range smartphones. It's moments like this which make a marketing ploy, the incredibly popular Black Friday, give credence to its name in a depressing way. And all this the day after Thankgiving, as MSN user, rk828, comments: "Black Friday: because only in america people trample each other for sales exactly one day after being thankful for what they already have." A fair point indeed, to which that particular user received over 1000 clicks of approval. Another user, Laurel345, wrote simply, "Smartphones / Stupid people....Bad combination." This is the kind of behaviour that drives the hard workers of the store away over the busy holiday periods, despite any financial incentives they may or may not receive.

Have a look at the footage of the rioters below, and tell us what you think. Are they justified in scrambling for their coveted goods? Or are they seriously deluded inviduals? Are Wal-Mart slightly to blame for enticing people with their price-cutting deals? And do you think the stock levels are actually that low? All great questions. Here's the vid: