You’d be forgiven for thinking Black Friday has been given its name because of the numerous outbreaks of violence among customers desperate to nab a good deal. It is in fact historically the day when retailers would start making a profit each year and go into the black.

While it all kicked off between two parents over a Frozen doll at Smyths Toy store in Swords, county Dublin, recently, there have been some far more serious incidents, including death, involving disgruntled Black Friday bargain hunters:

1. Two men shot to death in Toys R Us

On a 2008 Black Friday morning, two women apparently started arguing and punching each other in a Californian Toys ‘R’ Us store. Next, the men they were with also began arguing. According to witnesses, the men pulled out handguns and started firing at each other. Both men were killed in the fight.

City officials said the fight was not over a toy, and may have been related to rival gang activities.

2. Walmart worker gets trampled to death in stampede

In 2008, perhaps the gravest incident of violence occured when a mob got tired of waiting for a Walmart (WMT) store to open. Anxious for their Black Friday deals, customers at the Long Island Walmart, New York, busted into the store and began a stampede and riot that sent store employees leaping atop vending machine to avoid the mob.

The violence left 34-year-old Jdimytai Damour dead and four shoppers injured, including a woman eight months pregnant.

3. Woman pepper sprays other shoppers over Xbox deal

In a Walmart in California, a woman peppers sprayed other shoppers, including children for an "XBox Special" on Black Friday in 2011.

Twenty people were treated for minor injuries, and according to CNN, the woman responsible was able to pay for her purchases and leave before police arrived, but later turned herself in. There’s even a video of the whole incident:

4. Woman attacked another shopper with a stun gun at a mall

A woman reportedly attacked a rival shopper with a stun gun at Philadelphia's Franklin Mills Mall after they got into a fight. The incident, involving three females, grew more and more vicious until one of them apparently drew the weapon.

In the video posted on YouTube, a contraption is shown flashing blue and a buzzing sound is heard before the fight abruptly ends. The shock seems to do the trick–the woman's rival relents as onlookers shout "No, stop!" The women then go their separate ways, with no serious injuries apparent.

Mall security denied that a taser had been deployed, but wouldn't confirm if a stun gun was used. 

5. Man arrested after being told he could only buy one product

The United States isn't the only country to have the popular discount day Black Friday. There were also chaotic scenes in Asda supermarkets around the UK last year, which resulted in at least one man being arrested.

The man was detained at an Asda in Bristol after he was allegedly told he couldn't buy two 60-inch televisions. This led to an argument that quickly escalated, so much so that the man was forcefully detained by store security until police officers arrived. One employee was reportedly cut on the face during the fracas.

Customers were "surprised" that some shoppers were acting like "a pack of savages looking for a bargain." Who would have thought?