Why do people do this? It is sad to watch them running like sheep to get a bargain, it's like they will die if they don't get that magic discount......

More and more Americans are being brain washed into thinking more/newer/"better" stuff will make them happy. They are more concerned with fighting each other for a deal than they are fighting the system that is holding them down, taking away their rights, sending their jobs over seas, and stealing their money (via the above mentioned brainwashing scheme).
Hopefully the awe their 50in plasma TV inspires is enough to combat the hunger and cold they will experience when minimum wage drops and McDonalds and Walmart are not hiring.