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Black Friday is now open for business

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Freelance Hack, Nov 28, 2008.

  1. poindexter

    poindexter Well-Known Member

    Detail of the Long Island trampling death.

    http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-trample6-2008dec06,0,7255127.story

    "It got scary out of nowhere," Augustine later recalled. "The crowd in the back just pushed."

    Someone yanked Augustine's pocketbook off her shoulder, and ripped the side of her three-quarter-length leather coat.

    A woman with a pierced lip pushed Jones, who said back to her: "We can't move!" She looked up, and felt someone sucker-punch her left temple. The force knocked off her glasses.

    Sgro fell to the ground, as the woman with the pierced lip pulled her red hair. Sgro's right arm was broken. Sgro called her mother, Therese, telling her "we were attacked." Her mother called 911 and raced to the scene with her husband, Robert, a firefighter.

    They got there when police arrived. Therese Sgro told an officer, "Can't you see the crowd is out of control?"

    She said he replied sarcastically: "I'm surprised we haven't heard gunshots yet."

    Police stayed about a half an hour, leaving before the store opened. Jones and the Sgros left too.

    Meanwhile, Augustine was in line, struggling to breathe. Wal-Mart workers kept yelling at the crowd: "Move back four feet!" No one did.

    Still, she thought, this was worth it. She has four children, and two have birthdays close to Christmas. She was determined to get the best deals, especially this year, with the souring economy.

    Shopping on Black Friday at Wal-Mart is a tradition for her. But in years past, she remembered, the crowd consisted of about 700 people.

    Nothing like this.

    Shortly before 5 a.m. an announcement went over store intercom: "Doors are about to open in the next five minutes." As opening got closer, people started counting down: "Five, four, three, two, one!"

    Augustine saw a worker inside begin to open the door, slowly. Suddenly, everyone started pushing from all directions. They knocked the door off its hinges. A worker tried to use it as a shield, but the glass shattered.

    The crowd ran right into the soda machines. Pop Pop and others darted to the side where Damour had been, and held the machines in place as the crowd surged forward.

    He didn't see Damour anymore.

    Augustine tried to keep her balance as she was pushed forward. She saw people fall and knew she had to keep moving or she'd fall too. One woman had cuts from the glass across her face. Augustine saw Damour sprawled out. She managed not to step on him.

    Durell George, 26, who works in Internet sales, heard people screaming and tried to jump out of their way. A woman in brown pants and a long coat fell but others pulled her to the customer service section. George went to see if she was OK.

    Augustine kept going, down the jam-packed aisles, still moving with the crowd, still heading to the deals. People guarded the televisions so no one else could grab them. Augustine raced for the toy section and snatched up a bike, a dollhouse, 10 Hannah Montana dolls for $5 apiece.

    Two hours later, Augustine checked out, just as the store announced it was closing. She got in line, and spent $495 on 36 items. She did not know what became of the man who had fallen to the ground.


    Black Friday is a disgusting display of American consumerism and greed. Anybody who participates in this ritual should be ashamed, and rethink their values. Is a $5 blender really worth it?
     
  2. You're painting that picture with a pretty broad brush.
     
  3. KevinmH9

    KevinmH9 Active Member

    I have a friend who works at Walmart, and having talked to him about the day; he told me that within the first three hours of the 5am-11am sale "riot," they did almost $750,000 in sales. Absolutely nuts.
     
  4. JR

    JR Well-Known Member

    Up here we have Boxing Day (day after Xmas) sales and it sounds like the same thing in terms of lineups, etc.

    I don't agree with Poin on much but I do on this.

    Why people subject themselves to this crap to save a little money is beyond me.

    However, I know people who do.

    Each to his own I guess
     
  5. nmmetsfan

    nmmetsfan Active Member

    It's not any more nuts than getting up at 5 a.m. to sit in a deer stand for 13 hours with temps in the 30s.
     
  6. sportschick

    sportschick Active Member

    Naw, Grandma sends us out with cookies and coffee. That's well worth it!
     
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