Black Friday by Todd Keisling
THE SALES ARE KILLER
Black Friday. In the United States, it’s the busiest shopping day of the year. Huge crowds gather outside their favorite stores at dawn, eagerly waiting for the doors to open so they can spend their hard-earned money.
If you work in retail, it’s also the worst shopping day of the year.
But not for Doug. He’s an optimist, a self-proclaimed “lemonade from lemons” kind of guy, and a horde of irritable shoppers isn’t about to dampen his spirits. He’s got his eye on an engagement ring for his girlfriend, Jenna, and today it’s on sale. His hopes of popping the big question to her are more than enough to keep him going.
All he has to do is make it through his shift.
The shoppers are gathering. It’s almost time to open. And there’s a disheveled man dressed as Santa Claus staggering across the parking lot toward them…
United KingdomShort Homage to Romero
Part Romero-esque thrill ride full of grim and dead pan humour, part ironic nod to They Live, Black Friday sees Doug turn up to work on the biggest shopping day of the year, happy with life, until a bloody, staggering Saint Nick turns up. This is very much a bloody, shambling tale of consumerism filled with great character pieces that any retail worker will recognise. It’s novelette length but packs a great punch and is deftly written.
United StatesThe Deals Are To Die For
Retail is a thankless job, but working retail on Black Friday would be an absolute nightmare. For Doug, it's not so bad. He knows it's a job he wouldn't want to make a career out of, but it pays the bills, and he gets to work with his girlfriend, Jenna. As challenging as he expects the day to be, Doug never anticipates just how bad it can get. Black Friday is rough, but when it might just be the end of the world, things are about to get worse. In the tradition of George A. Romero, Todd Keisling provides us with a funhouse mirror distortion of the American obsession with consumerism. Providing commentary on the mindless or single-minded hunger that grips wide swaths of the population on the biggest shopping day of the year, Keisling forces us to wonder how much difference there is between one shambling horde and another. Even in a genre run into the ground, Keisling manages to create something fresh and entertaining with well-developed characters, fantastic writing, and plenty of wit added into the mix.
Some Deals To Die For
Retail is a thankless job, but working retail on Black Friday would be an absolute nightmare. For Doug, it's not so bad. He knows it's a job he wouldn't want to make a career out of, but it pays the bills, and he gets to work with his girlfriend, Jenna. As challenging as he expects the day to be, Doug never anticipates just how bad it can get. Black Friday is rough, but when it might just be the end of the world, things are about to get worse. In the tradition of George A. Romero, Todd Keisling provides us with a funhouse mirror distortion of the American obsession with consumerism. Providing commentary on the mindless or single-minded hunger that grips wide swaths of the population on the biggest shopping day of the year, Keisling forces us to wonder how much difference there is between one shambling horde and another. Even in a genre run into the ground, Keisling manages to create something fresh and entertaining with well-developed characters, fantastic writing, and plenty of wit added into the mix.