When Legends Were Made: Zayre’s in Wilkes-Barre in 1983

Black Friday just isn’t what it used to be.

Let’s be honest: the long lines, the fighting, people trampling each other at the entrance of the store after waiting in the cold since 3:00 in the morning… that was dedication. That was the real Black Friday.. Kids these days just wouldn’t understand .. 😉

That spirit.. probably for the best .. is gone. Maybe it’ll come back again someday. Everything in life seems to run in cycles. But for now, Black Friday as we knew it feels like it’s been safely packed away in the past. Thankfully, there’s video evidence that it once existed. And honestly, this time of year, a little nostalgic joy and maybe a little gratitude that we don’t do this anymore goes a long way.

WHEN LEGENDS WERE MADE

But There’s one video in particular that still gets referenced online all the time. The great Cabbage Patch fervor of 1983.

Here’s why it’s extra special: it happened right in our neck of the woods here in northeastern Pennsylvania. Newswatch 16 was on hand for the commotion as about 1000 people lined up for only 200 or so Cabbage Patch Kids. It all went down at Zayre’s department store in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

It happened on November 27, 1983. A day that has lived in infamy and is used in annual lamentations about how bad society could be when trying to acquire material possessions.

The video showcases all these well-dressed northeastern Pennsylvanians braving the cold and temporarily losing their humanity as they fight each other for the last scraps of Cabbage Patch fever.

One particular grandmother manages to snatch up a doll for her granddaughter and is pretty in your face about it while being interviewed by the news… as another mom, clearly upset by the chaos, laments that her own daughter’s Christmas will be ruined.

You can feel the generational tension radiating off the screen as the victorious grandma glances behind her like she just won the Super Bowl of Wilkes Barre shopping!

But the most famous part of the video is the store worker — owner, manager, regional toy czar, who knows — what we do know is that he was Batman.

He’s standing there wielding a baseball bat, screaming at the crowd to stop it and calm down, slamming the bat against the floor like a warning shot as the rebellious shoppers completely ignore him and continue their toy riot. It’s retail Gotham, and order is not being restored.

Yes.. we even had an injury.

This is kind of the worst of the worst of Black Friday… but is it really?

Fast-forward a bit: in the early 2000s there was actually a website that tracked how many injuries and even deaths occurred on Black Friday. Yes, that was a thing .. a running tally of people being trampled and beaten because they all lunged for the same discounted TV or half-priced candle.

We’ve chilled out a bit since then. I mean, we don’t leave our houses now.

Online shopping, staggered sales, “early access deals” .. it’s all taken some of the chaos (and weirdly, some of the spirit?) out of the day.

But don’t worry. I still have faith in us. I truly believe humanity has it in us to once again fire up the loins, head back to the mall that still exist in the corners of our towns.. even the dirt malls.. and throw a few festive punches over products made in another country by what is likely very underpaid labor.

Come on, everybody. Let’s just try harder.

But until that glorious regression arrives, let’s rewind to 1983. Let’s enjoy the grainy video as it flies across our feeds once more, a time capsule of holiday madness and misplaced priorities.

Happy shopping.
The Christmas season has officially begun. 🎄🛍️

And in that spirit, check our store out for some decent deals on the famed “Ham and Beanie,” a Centralia candle that does not smell like mine fire, and some other cool oddities. We are always adding more!