Black Friday sales across the United States were marred by violence as crazed shoppers literally fought over the best deals. Several incidents occurred at Wal-Mart stores as millions of Americans loaded up on holiday purchases.

One disturbed female shopper at a Los Angeles, California, Wal-Mart—desperate to get her hands on some discounted electronics—actually pepper-sprayed an entire crowd of people in an attempt to keep them away from the merchandise she wanted. According to witnesses, shoppers-gone-wild were tearing down video game displays, trampling merchandise and shoving each other as they tried to get at the deeply-discounted goods. Then, the above-mentioned woman filled the whole area with pepper spray. At least 20 shoppers were injured.

Chaos also erupted at a Wal-Mart in Rome, New York, as several fights broke out in the electronics department. Two shoppers ended up in hospital for minor injuries, according to Oneida County sheriff’s deputies.

One of the most climactic parts of the Friday shopping experience in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, was a fistfight that broke out at Victoria’s Secret, where a deal on yoga pants had some women fuming. “Literally, girls were punching each other,” said shopper Liz Wentling. “They threw little bags in baskets and they were just like, ‘Here.’ Girls were literally shoving each other, moms were getting into it.”

A discount-seeking shopper was shot and critically wounded during a robbery outside a Wal-Mart in San Leandro, California. Police said the victims were returning to their car with their purchases when they were approached by multiple suspects demanding their merchandise. In the ensuing fight, one suspect allegedly pulled a gun and shot one of the victims.

Similar shootings occurred at holiday discount sales in Fayetteville, North Carolina; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and Des Moines, Iowa.

These incidents bring back memories of the 2008 Black Friday atrocity, when a frantic crowd of shoppers trampled a Wal-Mart employee to death when he unlocked the store door that morning.

It is astonishing how violent and self-centered human beings can be when a materialistic craze comes over them. If people will explode like this over discounted plasma tvs, imagine what will happen when America starts to experience food shortages.

For more information on violence and civil unrest in America, read our October articles “Blood in the Streets” and “Brace Yourself for Food Scarcity.”