<p>When I was much younger I was in a crowd that was trying to buy tickets. The push from behind got so bad I was literally lifted off my feet. I went sideways until I got out and can’t stand crowds to this day. Once a crowd starts pushing from behind, the ones in front cannot stop them. It only takes a little shove that starts to build and then cannot be stopped until the front pressure (open door) is relieved. No way in that condition it could stop for someone on the ground. Very scary. You have to control crowds like that from the back, not the front.</p>
<p>I can’t stand crowds either. My last job was at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. One year, the police moved the crowds for the tree lighting onto 52nd Street and I wasn’t aware ahead of time because that wasn’t usually the case. I walked out the door and into a surging crowd. It literally sucked me in. I’m 4’11 and 105 pounds – exactly elbow level for normal people. I was trapped and couldn’t get out. I work very hard never to be in a crowd now.</p>
<p>I finally went shopping at Costco today, the store is somewhat empty, ie not too crowded. I bought 2 itunes gift cards. I saved a whole $20.</p>
<p>This is horrible. I do believe that Walmart itself bears at least some of the responsibility for not having adequate security to cope with the crowd, and for not doing more to organize it during the night. It isn’t as if they didn’t expect and want a huge crowd. The police seem to agree.</p>
<p>Of course, I’m not the world’s biggest Walmart fan in the first place.</p>
<p>Some excerpts from a few articles:</p>
<p>[The</a> Columbus Dispatch : Security video may hold clues in Walmart death](<a href=“http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/national_world/stories/2008/11/30/ap_walmart_death_1130.ART_ART_11-30-08_A3_5GC338B.html?sid=101]The”>http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/national_world/stories/2008/11/30/ap_walmart_death_1130.ART_ART_11-30-08_A3_5GC338B.html?sid=101)</p>
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<p>[Stores</a> need to better plan for crowds, police say – Newsday.com](<a href=“http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/longisland/ny-licops305946904nov30,0,208294.story]Stores”>Newsday | Long Island's & NYC's News Source - Newsday)</p>
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<p>[Wal-Mart</a> death preventable, union says - CNN.com](<a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/11/29/black.friday.death/]Wal-Mart”>Wal-Mart death preventable, union says - CNN.com)</p>
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<p>From Newsday, some information about the poor man who was killed:</p>
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<p>Donna, thanks for posting those articles. I hope something good will come out of this terrible tragedy to prevent such things from happening in the future - at the very least, more safety measures if Walmarts insist on having those events. If I were a relative of the poor man, I’d be lawyering up big time to take on the evil empire. Speaking of evil empires, H bought a DVD of Paul McCartney’s live concert in Red Square. I was surprised to see rows and rows of chairs neatly arranged near the stage for this sitting room only event. WTH - it is a concert in a square? Then a light bulb went on - the chairs were there to serve as stampede breakers if one were to happen.</p>
<p>I was shocked at some of the stories out there this past weekend. One woman sat outside for hours to get some HD TV for $100 off at some store. She made some comment about having to save money as things are tight this year. It seems to me that a HD TV is not something you buy when things are tight, and I don’t think that savings is that great anyways. I don’t understand. If these were true necessities at rock bottom prices, I would understand more, or even if they are once in a blue moon chances, but that has not been the case on these deals.</p>
<p>She couldda had a perfectly fine Konka (the most popular tv in the world!) for $59.95, and wouldn’t have had to wait a minute.</p>
<p>But I have to admit, I didn’t see these huge crowds. Bought groceries at Costco Friday morning, and it was mostly empty. Bought a pair of pants at Penney’s for my Stockholm trip (they didn’t have my size at my favorite Value Village), and wasn’t all that bad - and they seemed to be giving away the store. Looked it at Best Buy (next to Penney’s) around noon, and it seemed only a little heavier than normal.</p>
<p>Mini, I did not hit the stores this weekend, and I hit the roads at odd times to miss the traffic, but from what I hear the stores were full, buying was up over last year, but travel by air and car was down. </p>
<p>My kids were not too happy about Grandmom’s 13 inch tv with no cable this weekend. I think they would have liked to have stood in a line to get a better tv for her Friday morning. LOL</p>
<p>I don’t understand why the stores aren’t obligated to hire private security & do crowd control to prevent these sorts of events. They are obligated to handle what they create. My hubby & D have gone to the now defunct CompUSA both of the past 2 years for the post-Thanksgiving sales and found it OK both times. They said that everyone lined up in an orderly manner, the employees circulated among the line, offering food and beverages, including pumpkin pie. Folks all chatted with one another & people did NOT cut or push in line. They limited the # of people allowed to enter the store at any given time so everything stayed well-controlled. The store had LOTS of business & the customers stayed happy and SAFE. Yes, it required personnel and planning, but that seems to be the obligation when you are trying to generate a crowd of customers.</p>
<p>I agree that crowd control is important and stores should be prepared for the worst behavior. I remember a horrible frenzy one year over Cabbage Patch dolls that made a TRU in a nice area become a fight arena. Who would have guessed over a bunch of stupid dolls?</p>
<p>Yea, the retailers are not thrilled that there isn’t some “hot” item like the cabbage patch dolls, Wii, Play Station, Tickle Me Elmo, electronic dog, furby or some other “must have.” One shudders to think how much worse it could have been at many different locations if there was competition for such a “must have” item as well. <sigh> Definitely a symptom of an VERY unhealthy dynamic.</sigh></p>
<p>Parents are also begging manufacturers & stores to stop marketing to kids so they don’t have to tell the kids they can’t afford the long list of “I want…” Very sad—maybe keep the kids away from the TV so they won’t see that programming & marketing?</p>