Zombie Research Society
Contributing author Mark Greenman is an NRA Certified Pistol Instructor and the author of The Zombie Shooting Guide: Survival Training for the Worst-Case Scenario
Huge crowds pile up in front of the Walmart, thousands of pounds of flesh pressing against the doors. Suddenly there’s a breach, and the horde pours through the opening, screaming as they plunge into the store. In the chaos, some fall to the ground only to be trampled underfoot. Security is overwhelmed almost immediately. It’s now a desperate fight for scarce resources, with few winners and many losers. There’s shoving, fighting, a gunshot…
Ah, just another Black Friday sale in America.
When the topic of Zombie Survival comes up, people inevitably suggest Bugging Out to the local Costco, Walmart, or gunshop to load up on supplies. However, when we consider the insanity of last week’s Black Friday, it becomes clear that this is a terrible, terrible plan.
Black Friday sales offer people the chance to buy consumer goods at discount prices – that’s it. Yet, this modest motivator results in thousands of people storming the entrances of major stores, trampling the weak underfoot, and picking the place clean in a matter of hours.
Trying to hit Walmart during the Zombie Outbreak will be like a Black Friday on Bath Salts. There will be ten times the amount of people, many of them armed, and all of them desperate. Then there’s the little problem of the zombies, who will be drawn to the crowd. If people are willing to shoot someone over a TV, imagine what they will do to secure the supplies they need for their very survival.
Even if you survived the chaos, your net gain would be minimal. Modern supercenters rely on a system known as “just-in-time deliveries,” which means that they only keep limited supplies on hand in the store, with the bulk of their inventory kept in distant warehouses.
With thousands of desperate people storming the store at once, even the largest businesses will run out of supplies almost immediately. If you thought those Black Friday iPads went fast, just wait to see how quickly the food, water, and ammunition go during a Zombie Outbreak!
In short: Trying to load up on supplies after Z Day is madness. Even if you survived the stampede of armed looters, the amount of survival supplies you would find would be minimal due to the thousands of people devouring the store like locusts.
What this should tell you is that the time to prepare is NOW. For $500 you can easily purchase three months’ worth of food, water, and ammunition. Then, when the Zombie Outbreak comes, you will be able to board up your house, load your guns, and eat some ramen noodles while the world outside goes Blood Friday.