What does this say about our society?

[Tipperton]

When I saw this story, I just have to wonder what it says about our society and where we're headed when we encourage "events" such as "Blank Friday" (the day after Thanks Giving" and the first day of the Christmas shopping season) that results in behavior like this:

In the first, a temporary Wal-Mart employee was trampled to death in a rush of thousands of early morning shoppers as he and other employees attempted to unlock the doors of a Long Island, New York, store at 5 a.m., police said.

The Wal-Mart worker, whom authorities did not identify, was 34 and lived in Queens, said Nassau County police Detective Lt. Michael Fleming.

"This was utter chaos as these men tried to open the door this morning," Fleming said.

Video showed as many as a dozen people knocked to the floor in the stampede of people trying to get into the Wal-Mart store, Fleming said.

The employee was "stepped on by hundreds of people" as other workers attempted to fight their way through the crowd, Fleming said.

"Several minutes" passed before others were able to clear space around the man and attempt to render aid. Police arrived, and "as they were giving first aid, those police officers were also jostled and pushed," he said.

Full story here: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/11/28/black. ... index.html

I've always stayed home on "Black Friday" mostly because I don't care for crowds. After seeing this story I'll be sure to make it a point to continue to stay home.

Saving a few bucks is just not worth it, especially when someone gets hurt or killed because of it.

[Rook Zimbabwe]

I made it a point three weeks ago to go to BestBuy and WalMart and look at pricing on consumer electronics.

I went out yesterday (Black Friday) and did not see ANY savings. Either the items I looked at were "missing" or they had a sale price that was the same as the regular price from three weeks ago.

In BestBuy I removed the SALE tag and the regular price tag was the same behind it... they didn't even remove the regular price tag, just covered it over.

It is complete BS sponsored by the media that does HYPE to shill for big buisness... We had local reporters giving hourly updates on TV as well...

"Well, John, the scene here at West Oaks Mall is orderly... but I don't know how much longer that can hold out..." Then they talked to poor white trash consumers who were going to buy XBoxes and PS3z etc.

"Yo Checkit... I gots me a PStree fo notting!! and dem XBox were so damn cheap... damn!!!"

It is just as bad on Tax Holiday... People buy clothes to save $2.00 in taxes...

BUT IT IS A BARGAIN!!!!!!! My wife says... programmed by the media.

Of course she thinks the merchandise in the outlet mall is the same as the regular stores as well!!!

[Tipperton]

A couple of things many stores pull.

Only five or so really cheap items are on the shelves on Black Friday and the sale is "while supplies last". They then restock the shelves that night with the stuff at regular price.

Or they'll list sale items at ridiculously low prices but not have any in stock and no rain checks. Or you can get a rain check if you want but they won't get their next shipment till after Christmas.

All just to get you in the store, they figure that once you are there, you'll buy something.

It's all hype and gimmickry to try and create a buying frenzy.

It wouldn't surprise me one bit if the family of that Wal-Mart employee sues them. They and other stores advertised heavily to create the frenzy that resulted in his death so they'd deserve it.

I generally prefer to do all my shopping on-line. But when I do go to a store, I've already done my research, so I know what I want and what I can expect to pay and won't buy unless I get both.

[PB]

> It wouldn't surprise me one bit if the family of that Wal-Mart employee sues them

They wouldn't win. Wal-Mart didn't kill him, the public crowd did because they
couldn't control themselves over a sale. :roll: Yes, it's pathetic, I agree.

[Trond]

TERROR ATTACK AT WAL-MART
Oh wait, just a sale.

YOUNG DAD FORCED TO LEAVE MOTHER WITH SERIOUSLY ILL CHILD
Oh wait, just the draft marching in and offering help with their medical expenses.

What does this say about our society?

USA is surely the only country I know off the top of my head in which people are killed in a sale and bought in a war. Back in the days, when there was slavery an' stuff, it used to be the other way around.

Merry Christmas, all capitalists! Total freedom FTW!

[Tipperton]

They wouldn't win. Wal-Mart didn't kill him, the public crowd did because they couldn't control themselves over a sale.

You're probably right, however, in a later report, they said the Long Island police were reviewing the store's surveillance videos in an effort to try and identify the individuals that knocked down the employee for possible criminal charges. Probably a futile effort, but I love to see them actually do it.

Hopefully, with the threat of possible criminal charges being filed against them, people in general will learn to control themselves better in such situations.

If there's any consolation for the family of the employee it will most likely have to be the hope that those people responsible know who they are and what the results of their actions were and that they will have to live with that guilt for the rest of their lives. Of course that assumes those people have a conscience, and most people these don't don't seem to have one.

[Trond]

Hopefully, with the threat of possible criminal charges being filed against them, people in general will learn to control themselves better in such situations.

IMHO, if it's only the threat of possible criminal charges that keeps people from killing others, then that says more about the society than anything else.

[SFSxOI]

Its stupid and senseless.

I once, around christmas time several years ago, had a woman try to have me arrested for getting the last cabbage patch doll off the shelf. I picked it up as she was coming down the isle looking for the same thing, she saw me pick it up and said several foul words cursing me as i turned to walk away then she tried to grab the doll from me. I pulled away from her and told her she was nuts. I went to the checkout and paid for the doll and reported the incident to the manager who got security moving to find her, i saw her leaving the store ahead of me and so did they but they didn't pursue. By the time I got back to my car in the parking lot the police pulled up with her in their car and I could see her pointing at me. She was claiming I had assualted her in the store and took the doll from her. I told the police what happened and asked them if we could go back into the store and speak with the manager because i had reported the incident to him and then look at the security camera video which i hoped had captured the event. The police obliged me. We watched the video, there it was as plain as day what had happened. The police apologized and arrested the woman for making a false report.

I now do my holiday shopping at other times during the year and not around the major holidays, and i avoid Black Friday as well.

[PB]

> if it's only the threat of possible criminal charges that keeps people from
> killing others, then that says more about the society than anything else

That's the way it's always been. Otherwise, why jail anyone for anything?

[Trond]

> if it's only the threat of possible criminal charges that keeps people from
> killing others, then that says more about the society than anything else

That's the way it's always been. Otherwise, why jail anyone for anything?

It's also to make sure it doesn't happen again soon.

[pdwyer]

It says we're in a recession perhaps.

They are being good consumers and spending their money to keep the economies running.

I heard that there were even pregnant women there My wife wouldn't have put herself in a position like that while pregnant.

Kind of like the tourists that get hurt during the "running of the bulls" in spain I suppose

[Mohawk70]

I made it a point three weeks ago to go to BestBuy and WalMart and look at pricing on consumer electronics.

I went out yesterday (Black Friday) and did not see ANY savings. Either the items I looked at were "missing" or they had a sale price that was the same as the regular price from three weeks ago.

In BestBuy I removed the SALE tag and the regular price tag was the same behind it... they didn't even remove the regular price tag, just covered it over.

It is complete BS sponsored by the media that does HYPE to shill for big buisness...

There are some real deals out there, if you look. But, you can also get those same deals from many of these retailers at their ONLINE store without having to deal with the insane morons who begin lining up outside the brick-and-mortar locations @ before midnight on Thanksgiving!

[Inner]

It says we're in a recession perhaps.

They are being good consumers and spending their money to keep the economies running.

I heard that there were even pregnant women there My wife wouldn't have put herself in a position like that while pregnant.

Kind of like the tourists that get hurt during the "running of the bulls" in spain I suppose

That's correct the woman in question suffered a miscarriage, at least the guy that got murdered had some sort of life up to that point, but to take the life of an unborn child just enrages me with a so much anger I could barely control myself.

[pdwyer]

Personally taking the life of a born child would be worse I think, could be just me though.

As a parent I could handle a miscarrage in the family better than one of my kids being hurt... morbid thread this one

[devski]

They are being good consumers and spending their money to keep the economies running.

unfortunately the economy is not perfect, which means the profit goes only to the waltons and its shareholders.

if people want a really good economy where wealth is not concentrated on few large companies, people should support the small independent retail stores. you might not get stuff cheap from china, but at least everyone is supporting each other.