Off Topic Black Friday!

[Nightflare514]

I admit. Today was the first time I have ever gone out on black friday. The one store I really wanted to go to opend two hours early, at the reasonable hour of 8am. I set my alarm for 6:45 and was out the door at 7:40. There were only three in line ahead of me when the door opend. I was home before 9 and was very excited wih my purchases. Two of the gifts had a retail value of $80 I purchased for $30 and two more with a value of $40 for $13. I was excited about my bargains but did not fight crowds.


Later in the day a friend and I went to lunch and two more local stores but didn't get much. Just an excuse to have fun and chat.

See? Now why can't most peopel be like that?

 

[FlipTwistFly28]

See? Now why can't most peopel be like that?

Ya, really! I know there can be some really good deals but people just go crazy! My mom joked that we should've gone just to play jokes on people and move their carts so they would freak out! We didn't do that though, even though it sounds like fun!

 

[NYgymfan]

Yeah. I just heard that they physically broke down the doors and trampled and killed a 34-year-old walmart worker on long island. A pregnant woman was also taken to the hospital.

This is big news up here in NY. Actually, the mall itself is on Long Island, but just over the NYC line, and this mall gets their customers from all over NYC, and attracts a rough crowd usually.

I think the most disgusting thing I've heard about this is that when police closed the store to investigate the murder, the shoppers were complaining that they were getting kicked out because they waited on line since 2AM. Uh...someone just got killed?

 

[all-aroundgirl]

That is totally sick! I actually did an article about it on my blog.

 

[gymdog]

I live very close to a rather large mall and wouldn't have been there for love or money yesterday.

I don't care about stores being open on Thanksgiving though, usually it's considered overtime and people get time and a half from what I've heard from people. Some people I know who weren't raised in America and don't really do much for Thanksgiving work those shifts for that reason. They usually aren't open all day either. But I heard that Friday's victim was a temp and they probably have a big temp labor supply willing to do it because if it's a second job to make money around the holidays then days that are usually off and weekends are going to be attractive.

 

[Cynical-Chick]

I really hope Wal-Mart is held liable; they're the ones who whip customers into a frenzy, as well as failing to provide adequate security.

 

[NYgymfan]

I'm sure there will be MANY lawsuits. Even just customers who were trampled. My friend's dad is a cop down there. He says this is definitely a known trouble spot and that the Nassau County DA is looking to bring charges if they can identify anyone at the front of the line from the store's video cams. I hope they charge wal-mart too.

 

[gymmomntc2e6]

I don't know if I agree that Walmart is responsible. Yes they had the big sale and opening early - But so does almost every other store.

The problem is people. Nobody( ok- maybe that is an exaggeration) has any common sense, manners or consideration for others anymore. Until we get that back, stupid crap like this will keep happening. We need to wake up. We need to get back to basics and start teaching our children manners, that they cannot have everything they want just because they want it and that they are not the only person on the planet.

Off my soapbox. Sorry

 

[Cynical-Chick]

I don't know if I agree that Walmart is responsible. Yes they had the big sale and opening early - But so does almost every other store.

The problem is people. Nobody( ok- maybe that is an exaggeration) has any common sense, manners or consideration for others anymore. Until we get that back, stupid crap like this will keep happening. We need to wake up. We need to get back to basics and start teaching our children manners, that they cannot have everything they want just because they want it and that they are not the only person on the planet.

Off my soapbox. Sorry

All the "wtf is wrong with people" horror sort of presupposes that, first, other members of the crowd were aware that there was a person being trampled to death and, second, that they did not care, doesn't it? People get trampled because once a crowd gets moving, it's difficult or impossible for individuals in it to stop moving, not because those individuals are so callous that they don't mind killing someone to get to their destination.

It is very much Wal-Mart's fault; THEY are the ones who intentionally whip customers into a frenzy. THEY are the ones who failed to provide adequate security, either by guards or barriers. THEY are the ones who put cheap, crap doors on the store. You call the police for crowd control and don't open the doors until people are compliant.

Best Buy puts up barriers in the store, like a maze, and you have to go through that.

But then again, it's Wal-Mart. They probably get to collect on some dead peasant policy or something.

 

[bribri514]

All the "wtf is wrong with people" horror sort of presupposes that, first, other members of the crowd were aware that there was a person being trampled to death and, second, that they did not care, doesn't it? People get trampled because once a crowd gets moving, it's difficult or impossible for individuals in it to stop moving, not because those individuals are so callous that they don't mind killing someone to get to their destination.

It is very much Wal-Mart's fault; THEY are the ones who intentionally whip customers into a frenzy. THEY are the ones who failed to provide adequate security, either by guards or barriers. THEY are the ones who put cheap, crap doors on the store. You call the police for crowd control and don't open the doors until people are compliant.

Best Buy puts up barriers in the store, like a maze, and you have to go through that.

But then again, it's Wal-Mart. They probably get to collect on some dead peasant policy or something.

i mean yeah they should have put that kind of stuff in place, but it was still the other people that killed a man. i think by just blaming wal-mart it furthers the attitude that has people do this kind of stuff in the first place. "it's not my fault i killed someone, wal-mart made me want to buy stuff and do it!" these people were told a man died and they kept shopping. their greed made them rush a store, disregard a man dying on the floor after causing it, making it almost impossible for emts to treat him, etc. i know a lot of people hate wal-mart and are using this as a way to support how evil they think they are and how this whole thing is their fault. but these people who killed that poor man should be held accountable in my opinion. they're the ones who killed another human being period.

sorry i just get worked up about this because my godfather owns a store and it's kind of a family thing and we all work there. he markets to people and he has sales and all kinds of stuff. that's what people who own stores do. it's not a bad, evil thing. like i said yeah they should have done better crowd control, but that's not equal to killing a man. when will people start to take responsibility for their own actions??

 

[Cynical-Chick]

Sales aren't evil. Walmart is (read all the "issues" stuff).

I agree with you that people should be more mature and responsible, but did you read my first paragraph? When people from the back start moving and shoving, the people in the middle and front physically cannot stop moving. People didn't intentionally run over the man. Walmart is absolutely liable in this case.

Who do you decide to hold accountable? How can you tell, if they even have video footage that's quality enough to identify individuals?

 

[NYgymfan]

Liability isn't 100% black and white. In otherwords, you can split the liability up between various people and companies, etc. Insurance companies do it all the time, like if you get into a car accident they can say you are 67% liable and the other person is 33% liable.

The above is certainly not legal advice, but it is something I learned in Intro to Law class

 

[Tim_Dad]

Having been a Retail supervisor for 10 years back in the 80's, I can tell you that Black Friday is more about Hype then deals. Sure there are some, but it's mostly on a few popular items to draw you into the store. Most people that go to the mall arent so much "shopping" but looking for ideas. It's only the busiest in the volume of patrons, but not volume of money. The last week (anyday) before Christmas easily dwarfs any amount of money made on Black Friday.

The BEST time to shop is Thursday. Most Mall stores get new shipments on Wednesday and Thursday AM. So this is the time when retailers are restocking shelves, and preparing for the next weekend run. You'll get the best selection and the best deals. AND checkout lines are usually minimal.

HIH.

Tim