A perfect storm of events may collude to sink that family bonding activity known as Black Friday. Black Friday has traditionally kicked off the Christmas buying season with “doorbusters” advertised by retailers and some shoppers acting very badly. Fortune.com is reporting:

And many expect sales this year to be lackluster. A recent survey by Boston Consulting Group predicted that Americans would be “tight and frugal” in coming weeks. “This holiday season, consumers are going to be cautious and frugal. Expect at best a 4.5% increase in spending over last year and a tepid Black Friday,” says BCG Senior Partner Michael J. Silverstein.

Americans have good reason to be “tight and frugal”. Real wages for most Americans have been flat for decades, according to the Economic Policy Institute. EPI has written about wage stagnation.

Also, with the Mali and Paris terrorists attacks over the last couple weeks, Americans have been reminded about the Jihadis, Muslim, Islamic extremists, random bad guys that want to kill or convert everyone in the Western World. President Obama has decided to get really tough on the ISIL guys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ondcW7dCRcA

Thank goodness for that.

Finally, on Black Friday, Chicago’s Magnificent Mile was shut down by protesters. The protesters were marching after it took 400 days for a white police officer to be indicted in the brutal street murder of black teenager Laquan McDonald. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel was more interested in ensuring his own reelection, according to the Chicago Tribune. All of this led to frustration on the part of the Chicago community and to shutting down the city economics on Black Friday.

Black Friday sales numbers will be “meh” due to poverty, fear and intimidation.

Stores need warm bodies with ready cash coming through the doors in order to stay open. All stores large, medium and small business owners need people in the store. Online shopping may rise this year, but brick and mortar retail operations may feel the wrath of the perfect storm.