Saturday, November 29, 2008

...What the hell is wrong with people? part something

Just, the shoppers who trampled a Wal-mart worker to death in their stampede for the bargains: someone tell me if this is part of the War On Christmas, or says something about the economy, or, or...anything? I mean,

Other workers were trampled as they tried to rescue the man, and customers shouted angrily and kept shopping when store officials said they were closing because of the death, police and witnesses said.

At least four other people, including a woman who was eight months pregnant, were taken to hospitals for observation or minor injuries, and the store in Valley Stream on Long Island closed for several hours before reopening.

Shoppers stepped over the man on the ground and streamed into the store. When told to leave, they complained that they had been in line since Thursday morning.


...seriously, what -is- that?

And yeah, I know, there's bigger and worse news out there right now: what's going on in India, say, and a million other things that don't even make the headlines.

But...yeah, I dunno. Ho ho fucking ho, eh?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

In my opinion, the vast majority of the blame goes to the managers of the Wal-Mart, who clearly failed to employ proper crowd control measures. Simplistically, they could have forced people to form a line to enter the store, rather than a seething mob. Large crowds like that can take on a dangerous seemingly hateful character even though no single individual in the crowd is personally hateful.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
CrackerLilo said...

L'Ailee loves Black Friday shopping. She goes out with a mouthguard and has gotten into fistfights. But I never worried about her *that* much until I heard about this. You know I was calling her as soon as it came up!

I agree with Comrade PhysioProf. I worked at a Best Buy as a temporary thing one holiday season. We had drills, and they had two big guys up front, and they passed out numbered tickets to the people waiting up front. But that's what happens when a store gives half a rat's ass about its employees, and Walmart has never been known for that.

I thought you'd like to know, if you haven't seen it, that Queens' councilman James Gennaro has proposed a "doorbuster bill" mandating better security for these situations. I wish bright ideas like this could be thought up *before* someone dies.

keshmeshi said...

Wal-Mart is more evil than even I thought possible. Congratulations, Wal-Mart!

Anonymous said...

treatbeauty Take a piece of me