Every year my sister and mother try to persuade me to brave the Black Friday shopping crowds with them. And every year my response is the same: "What, are you nuts?"

I usually work that day anyway, but even if I didn't, there's nothing that could entice me to huddle in the pre-dawn November cold in front of a big-box retailer. The savings that most people get just aren't worth the traffic, the crowds and now, the potential risk to life and limb. On Friday, crowds rushing into a Long Island, N.Y., Wal-Mart in the early morning hours trampled an employee to death. The worker who died was just a hard-working guy trying to control the crowd, according to news footage of the tragedy.

Was it something about the grim economy that made crowds more dangerous this year? That's the theory of some experts. When times are tough, the fear of not having enough, of missing out on a one-of-kind deal takes on an edge. It's an interesting theory. You have to wonder about the people who stepped on the employee or didn't stop to help. Was the discounted flat-screen TV that important? Were they afraid to stop because they too might fall and be trampled?

Youtube videos show crazed crowds at a number of retailers across the nation this past weekend. It was fortunate there weren't more deaths.

There has to be a better way to do this. Maybe it's CyberMonday – the email offers piling up in my inbox right now look pretty good. And, there's a clear need for more stores to better control crowds and prevent dangerous rushes for merchandise. Shopping may be a competitive sport in the United States, but it shouldn't be a blood sport.