STAFFORD, Texas – The Black Friday deals got heated at one Houston-area store. A YouTube video has gone viral, racking up thousands of views in just hours, of people fighting over merchandise. Cell phone video shows shoppers brawling over a Samsung television as authorities tried and break it up. At one point, four people are lying on top of the flat-screen TV box.
"It doesn't surprise me. The way people are acting to save money and you can't blame them. They are just trying to save some money," said shopper Lorranie Henderson.
"That's the main reason me and my wife don't do Thanksgiving Day shopping," said shopper Derrick Broussard.
The person who uploaded the video to YouTube, Tooba Amir, said the fight took place inside of a Walmart. The video shows it took about a minute for police to get a hold of the TV and break up the fight. Stafford police said no one was arrested in the brawl. Fights like this are why Toya Foster said she avoids shopping on Thanksgiving.
"I don't want to be in the crowds," she said. "I don't want to be fighting with people over the merchandise. It's just not worth it. I'd rather pay a few more dollars to get whatever the item is in peace."
The video appears to show officers from the Stafford Police Department and the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Department breaking up the chaos. Stafford police said law enforcement in the video were off-duty police and sheriff's deputies hired to provide extra security for Walmart.
A spokesperson with Walmart said the TV was part of the store's One Hour Guarantee Promotion. Customers who show up between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Thanksgiving receive a coupon for the item at the absolute lowest price. Even if the store runs out of the item, the item will be shipped to the customer's store and can be picked up before Christmas.
"Offering only a small number of items that are hot ticket items for the season. I think it's kind of going to set up that kind of environment," said Foster.
"It was crazy to me. We went to a lot of stores and there was no fighting and there was 50 inch TV'S everywhere," said shopper Keith Domino.