Dear Dr. Date,

I’ve never been a big Black Friday person — my idea of the day after Thanksgiving includes a long nap and lots of leftovers. But my boyfriend’s family is big into getting deals, so I begrudgingly woke up at 4 a.m. to go to Best Buy. Gotta get that 75-inch TV for like $10, right? 

I figured everyone would be civilized, which was my first mistake. People are crazy when waiting in line! Second mistake was believing my boyfriend’s family would be the odd one out and would act like a decent person. Third mistake? Not running away as soon as the doors opened because holy god there was a stampede.

But why is this a relationship problem, you ask? Well, my boyfriend got so excited he TRAMPLED A CHILD. Like, that’s the kind of thing you see in news articles with headlines like “We need to stop shopping Black Friday." He totally got away with it (in a giant mass of people, who’s going to know?) and didn’t even look back to see if the kid was okay! 

I’m seriously reconsidering our relationship — I’m not a kid person, but who the hell goes so crazy over sales that they run over a five-year-old? (And also, who brings a kindergartner to Black Friday?!) I’m concerned my life is going to be a series of apologizing to mothers on double-coupon days. What should I do?

Sincerely,

Black and Blue Friday

Dear Black and Blue Friday,

Well, was he getting something for you? Your boyfriend might be a sociopath, but imagine the deals you’ll get for your wedding!

Not everything has to be black and white, but you need to have a serious conversation about his empathy. If you explain what’s wrong with the situation and he apologizes, says he wasn’t thinking clearly and promises to shop Cyber Monday instead, it might be worth it. If he says “it was so worth it!," break it off fast before he summons an army of his family to trample you. 

Sincerely,

Dr. Date 

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