Black Friday Insanity Needs To Stop

[Rutabaga]

I have never been a fan of this Black Friday madness. This culture is too obsessed with material goods anyways, and it doesn't help that most of these stores set up this craziness with bait-and-switch tactics, intentionally limited supplies, and incredibly and inexcusably poor security. So this means that to me, this story was absolutely, needlessly, and sadly inevitable.


Worker dies in Black Friday store rush

VALLEY STREAM (WABC) -- A Wal-Mart employee died and four others were hurt in the Black Friday rush to get into the Valley Stream store this morning.

The injuries occurred as the shoppers crammed into the Wal-Mart when the doors opened at 5 a.m.

Police said the shoppers knocked the man to the ground at 5:03 a.m., three minutes after the store opened.

A 34-year-old Wal-Mart employee suffered an apparent heart attack and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

An autopsy will determine the exact cause of death.

Four others were also hurt in the crush, including a 28-year-old pregnant woman. She was taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors determined her baby was fine.

The store was closed to incoming shoppers following the incident. Those already inside were escorted out with their purchases.

The ensuing emergency activity clogged the Green Acres Mall parking lot.

Shoppers around the country lined up early outside stores Friday in the annual bargain hunting ritual known as Black Friday. It got that name because it's historically been the day when stores broke into profitability for the full year.

Nassau County police were at the scene investigating.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., in Bentonville, Ark., would not confirm the reports of a stampede at the Valley Stream outlet but said a "medical emergency" had caused them to close the store.

"Local authorities are looking into the situation," said Wal-Mart representative Dan Fogleman. "Until such time that they've completed their assessment it would be inappropriate for me to share any additional information."

[Mandy with an I]

I'm glad I live in Canada >_>; That is insane.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

I read about this :(

Further cements my decision to keep myself indoors the day after Thanksgiving.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Ty went out around 7-8 am to see if anything was left from the sales at Wal*Mart, Best Buy and Kohls. The short answer is no, and the lines at Kohls wrapped around the inside aisle in the store. >_<

... :( there was a great computer deal at BB too.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

I don't think we have anything like this over in the UK, at least not that I'm aware of. Seems crazy.

[Droo]

Black Friday is the apex of ruthless greed, it brings out the worst in people and highlights the sickening moral compromises we make in the name of capitalism. All for a new computer or whatever. I can't begin to describe how I feel about this story, it's the saddest of sad; not specifically due to the fatality but because of what it tells us about our society. It's as pathetic, tragic, and noteworthy as a fart in a vacuum.

[Miranda Tarkin]

I always boycott it. I'm glad I am out of the service industry and actually working in a hospital today where people actually need help >_>

[Droo]

I don't think we have anything like this over in the UK, at least not that I'm aware of. Seems crazy.

We don't but I'm sure we will someday and when that happens it will be just as bad.

[Morgan Evanar]

I did a Black Friday thing last year, but it was very orderly. I'm probably not going to do one again.

Wal-Mart and Best Buy are the worst.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I don't even bother. I know Walmart had a great deal on Blue Ray players but I wasn't willing to go out 3 to stand in line to get one. I rather pay 50 dollars more than go through that madness.

[Crystal]

I did Best Buy a few years back and got everything I'd come for easily despite the huge rush.. but I don't like large crowds so since then I stick to smaller stores, or online. I'd never even want to be close to a Wal-mart on Black Friday.

[Dasquian Belargic]

I went to a "20% off everything" night at one of the big department stores here, and the crowds there were bad enough for me. I'd rather just look for a decent deal online and spend a little extra, or alternatively just... wait until the price drops when some newer model comes out.

[Rutabaga]

Oh, terrific...2 people were killed in a shooting at a Toys R Us in Palm Desert, CA this morning. Black Friday indeed.

[Dasquian Belargic]

A shooting in Toys R Us? o_O What were they trying to buy?

[Serena]

Good Lord that's just terrible. :( What the heck!

I can understand trying to get good deals on what you were planning to get for Christmas (or in general - we need new towels and they're on saaaale, we try to do shopping when things are the cheapest) but there must be a better way than frontloading the best deals at the butt crack of dawn and then having only 6 or whatever of the best items in the store.

But getting violent and trampling people... its just the worst of human nature. :shakefist Crowd/mob mentality. Horrible.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

We're supposed to go shopping the day after Thanksgiving?

[Park Kraken]

A shooting in Toys R Us? What were they trying to buy?

It may have been a parking lot robbery. I remember a couple of incidents when the Xbox 360 went on for sale. One local incident was when a customer was shot in a parking lot after refusing to give up his X-box to a pair of robbers in a car. Another incident had been another man shot when he refused to give up money to a pair of gunmen who were holding up a camp out line at 4am.

I wouldn't be surpised to hear of similar incidents come filtering in over the next couple of days. Thankies for our state law that allows us to shoot first if we feel our lives are in jeopardy.

[Dasquian Belargic]

If someone points a gun at you, just give them the Xbox or whatever.. yeesh. None of this stuff is worth dying for. :/

[Rutabaga]

The latest I've heard on the TRU shooting is that it was inside the store, and it may have been gang-related. :\

[Sanis Prent]

One of the few times I've ever felt like I might be in immediate physical danger was at a Black Friday event. Needless to say, I won't be going back.

[JMK]

From now on they should just let all of these fools rush in to the stores, lock the doors behind them and turn on the sleeping gas.

These stories sicken me.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Naw, not sleeping gas. Let them rush in and all, but be sure to clear out the entire back half of the store. Nothing, not even shelves. Instead, have a big corral set up complete with cowhands and a branding station :D

Folks want to act like cattle, then they'll get treated like cattle.

[Morgan Evanar]

I just ordered a 1.5 TB HD. Thank goodness for the internet.

[Jaime Tomahawk]

We have Boxing Day sales here - but that's not as insane as what ya'll saying here.

[Park Kraken]

Sleeping Gas and Corrals sound fun, but another idea that allows the stores to maintain their sales is to replace all of the packaged merchandise with fake pictures, exploding yellow dye packs, fake weights, and a little recording device saying "Ha Ha" in a Nelson voice before self-destructing.

[Jedi Master Carr]

The latest I've heard on the TRU shooting is that it was inside the store, and it may have been gang-related. :\

Yeah they shot at each other, so no innocent bystanders got shot. They were both from rival gangs so it had nothing to do with Black Friday.

[Rutabaga]

The latest I've heard on the TRU shooting is that it was inside the store, and it may have been gang-related. :\

Yeah they shot at each other, so no innocent bystanders got shot. They were both from rival gangs so it had nothing to do with Black Friday.

If that's the case, then we can definitely be thankful that they appropriately thinned the herd without taking any innocent lives with them. But the fact that it did happen on Black Friday when the place was packed, and there were plenty of children around them...the timing still sucks and makes it scary. :(

I also still can't get over the whole Wal-Mart story, especially now that we have more details. The poor guy wasn't even a Wal-Mart employee, he was a temp agency employee, apparently there to do maintenance. And he was literally trampled to death. I think people sue way too quickly and easily nowadays over the slightest idiotic thing, but in this case I hope this gentleman's family sues the pants off of Wal-Mart first thing Monday morning.

And I really like the idea of corralling and branding them like cattle. That really says it all. :thumbup

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Why don't they hand out tickets for items to the people in line... something to keep people from scrambling so quickly to be the first ones in the store. I know at Best Buy they hand out tickets to the people in line for the door buster items, but not for everything in the store.

Or let just twenty people in the store at a time or something. Or have bouncers. Yeah. Bouncers. :D

[Park Kraken]

There ya go Holly. I'll take one side of the door, Chuck Norris will handle the other side.

[Daiquiri]

Security, meaning armed police, definitely need to be inside AND outside to help maintain order in areas such as the incidents happened.

If been twice to Black Friday and have never had a problem. You just have to expect a little shoulder rubbing/bumping when you go.

[Blade Bacquin]

I worked Black friday there are some real morons at these events I tell you. Yet at least this year no fights broke out like last year. Although I do enjoy watching them fight it's kind of funny really until management trys to break it up.

The shooting is sad really it is. As for the trappling I hope the guys family sues the hell out of wal-mart for it cause they are supose to have the rush under control at least corprate has rules for it. Like in my Wal-mart where I work we are open 24 hours and most stores are supose to open before 5 on black friday if they are normally 12 hours. Then they have the employees gaurd the merchandise until five when they realease the black wrap around it. This is to avoid said trapalings it doesn't avoid fights though.