On the last Friday of this month, I drove into downtown Los Angeles. Unbeknownst to me, I was about to enter a scene that would bring even Mike Tyson to his knees. There were naked women ripping clothes off their neighbor, a cacophony of derogatory language, and hundreds of “Britney Spears” types viciously pushing, pulling, and marking their territory. Young and old alike were tearing the clothes from off each other’s backs and scurrying to pay for their fashion finds. It seems the Calmart’s sample sale brings out the animal instinct in all women. Though the holiday season perpetuates the madness caused by bargain shopping, I wondered if these women could even recall why exactly they were purchasing gifts.

Kelly Marshall, a sample sale frequenter, waited the hour it took to get into one boutique with me and laid it all out. She was there, primarily for her daughter, but knew she’d find some great presents for everyone.

“It’s not always this maniacal here, but keep in mind, sample sale means one or two of everything. Everyone wants to get in, get the goods, and get on with their lives,” she said as we watched two teenagers tear off their clothes to try on some Frankie B jeans.

“There’s no dressing rooms and no returns,” she explained. “I guess it gets pretty crazy sometimes.” She had brought several plastic grocery store bags to fill with clothes and gave me one, as I forgot mine. “I’ve seen a few cat-fights break out around Christmas time. Guards came and everything.”