Clerk trampled to death by Black Friday shoppers

Parent Cafe
1

<p>I just don’t see the point in going on a rampage to buy things on sale. It’s not as if food were being offered to starving people.</p>

<p>"
NEW YORK - A Wal-Mart worker has died after being trampled by a throng of unruly shoppers shortly after the Long Island store opened Friday, police said. Unconfirmed reports said a pregnant woman also miscarried as the crowd rushed in.</p>

<p>Nassau County police said the 34-year-old Wal-Mart worker was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead at about 6 a.m. ET, an hour after the store opened.</p>

<p>A police statement said a throng of shoppers “physically broke down the doors, knocking him to the ground.” The exact cause of death “will be determined by the medical examiner’s office,” the police stated."
[Wal-Mart</a> clerk dies as crowd rushes in - Life- msnbc.com](<a href=“http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27955316/]Wal-Mart”>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27955316/)</p>

2

<p>I just read this news story to my kids. One commented, “these people are animals. This isn’t human behavior.” I can’t disagree.</p>

3

<p>I never understood the “fun” of Black Friday and it’s sad to hear every year about someone who got trampled…I wonder if some reporters just wait for that instead of “who got the best deal”. It seems to bring out rudeness and worse in many individuals.</p>

<p>I would much rather sit at my computer, getting free shipping and 25% off most stores and have it delivered to my door…although my mailman starts to sigh about a week before Christmas. : ) I also try to remember for us, what the season is really about.</p>

4

<p>OMG-
I just took my D to work- she got up late because the battery for her phone that she uses for an alarm, was dead.
OOPS.
I don’t understand that either- I am trying to observe buy nothing day, but I might have to go to the grocery store.</p>

5

<p>Most people at work have stuff shipped to the office. I would imagine that there’s hundreds of thousands of dollars of stuff shipped through our shipping department. It’s a secure way of getting stuff delivered and you don’t have to wait at home for deliveries.</p>

6

<p>This is horrifying. What is wrong with people!</p>

7

<p>The economy is so bad that people are afraid that items will stay on the shelves too long and become obsolete.</p>

8

<p>The economy is so bad that people with good sense would be staying home knowing that prices will continue to decrease.</p>

9

<p>Who said that most people have any good sense?</p>

10

<p>You’re right, DocT. Common sense is not common.</p>

11

<p>I just saw something about a person shot in Toys R Us in CA…they had to go on lockdown. The children are traumatized, I would be too…the insanity of human beings still amazes me.</p>

12

<p>I read this thread after checking out “My good buy of the day” thread. My response (not posted) to the latter is: “None.” We’re not into buying stuff. And I never go shopping on Black Friday.
I feel sad about the death of the poor man. I don’t understand the frenzy.</p>

13

<p>I saw a social science study of these things in London. There’s apparently a science to running these and I’d guess that it falls under marketing. My guess is that it works financially or else they wouldn’t do it.</p>

<p>There’s a mall in the next state over that has had multi-hour backups on the highway at 1 AM in the morning. They want to put one of these malls in our town but they’ve delayed groundbreaking. They cite a lot of site requirements but my guess is that the economy being in the toilet is a bigger reason.</p>

14

<p>UGGHH. That poor individual is now, IMO, a martyr to American consumerism – as well as a testament to how mob behavior can deteriorate to the least common denominator. I can only hope that this story encourages many, many people to rethink their priorities. How much of the shopping done today was for needs as opposed to wants? If people had today off, wouldn’t a cozy, leisurely day catching up at home with family and enjoying leftovers be preferable to the shopping frenzy? I know many are shopping for gifts for loved ones in their lives, but aren’t there other ways to show the love?</p>

<p>This is simply so depressing to me.</p>

15

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<p><a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/29/business/29walmart.html?_r=1&hp[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/29/business/29walmart.html?_r=1&hp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>This is one more sign of a sick culture where consumerism is an addiction that nobody really wants to see end (nor could we, as a nation, afford it to). </p>

<p>(Full disclosure: I bought Christmas gifts today for S, D, a niece and nephew and my Dad. Online. In my jammies. I’m not against gift-giving when one can afford it. But nobody should have to face the possibility of being trampled to do so.)</p>

16

<p>I knew this had to be in the northeast.</p>

17

<p>^^^ why would you say that ?
Bad behaviour isn’t necessarily geographic in nature. Look at what happened after Katrina…it didn’t bring out the best in a lot of people there that took to looting instead of helping their neighbors.
I can’t understand what could be in any store to warrant this kind of mayhem. I am not into black Friday sales…would rather pay extra to avoid the crowds.</p>

18

<p>It could have happened anywhere where people are greedy and thoughtless, some things that no region has a lock on.</p>

19

<p>The behavior of otherwise very fine individuals can change dramatically when they are in a crowd. Not many people are immune from the psychology of crowds.</p>

20

<p>Looks like the West might have gotten violent too at Toys R Us although they wont let out info until all the relatives are notified. All they will say is 2 are dead and it happened in the electronic dept.
When you have 5 TV’s for a “bargain” and 1000 people are waiting for it, it’s a bit ridiculous. My family never got into “Black Friday”, it was a day to rest, decorate, be all together for once.
I really learned to love the Internet and also do most of my shopping on there. The bargains are similar, sometimes better and free shipping saves me gas. I don’t buy a lot, and any stress-reducer is welcome.</p>