THis is why I hate the Holidays.........

[eyesis]

NEW YORK – A worker died after being trampled by a throng of unruly shoppers when a suburban Wal-Mart opened for the holiday sales rush Friday, authorities said.

 

At least three other people were injured.

 

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., in Bentonville, Ark., would not confirm the reports of a stampede but said a "medical emergency" had caused the company to close the store, which is in Valley Stream on Long Island.

 

Nassau County police said the 34-year-old worker was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead at about 6 a.m., an hour after the store opened. The cause of death was not immediately known.

 

A police statement said shortly after 5 a.m., a throng of shoppers "physically broke down the doors, knocking (the worker) to the ground." Police also said a 28-year-old pregnant woman was taken to a hospital for observation and three other shoppers suffered minor injuries and were also taken to hospitals.

 

The dead worker's name was not released.

 

"Local authorities are looking into the situation," said Wal-Mart representative Dan Fogleman. But he said it would be "inappropriate for me to share any additional information" until authorities investigate further.

 

Shoppers around the country lined up early outside stores in the annual bargain hunting ritual known as Black Friday. Many stores open early and stay open late. The Valley Stream Wal-Mart usually opens at 9 a.m.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081128/ap_on_.../wal_mart_death

[Metal T]

Yeah...most people suck and are generally f**king idiots from my experience and in my opinion.Hope that cheap dvd player (that wasn't worth a sh*t to begin with) was worth it fools.

[Fat Freddy]

This is why I do not plan to go anywhere NEAR a mall or retail establishment of any kind today...

[cdjunky41]

Yeah!

You know the world is fucked up when they have armed security in a TOYS R US stores.

Certain people need to be pistol whipped!!!

FA LA LA LA- LA LA LA!

[KarpetRydOFunk]

Words of wisdom.

We need to post this somewhere more people can read this.

World is full of fools, each deserving a bullet to the head.

[cdjunky41]

Words of wisdom.

We need to post this somewhere more people can read this.

World is full of fools, each deserving a bullet to the head.

 

AHH!

People don't care what we think!!

They will stop at nothing getting their monsters (Children) the perfect christmas gift.

These people are totally oblivious to reality.

[Dark Star]

This is why I do not plan to go anywhere NEAR a mall or retail establishment of any kind today...

 

 

Yea NO Shit.. Too many crazy shoppers out there today......

[heaven&hell]

I posted this in the other thread about this topic:

 

Yeah I agree, I'm not suprised by this at all but it is just sick.

After working Mall Retail for years I saw first hand how crazy some people acted not only on Black Friday but around Christmas in general. It's a shame just because people want to get something on sale they don't take into account that someone could not only be hurt but actually be killed.

[Fat Freddy]

Yup, I worked several Black Fridays years back when I worked for K-Mart and it was insane even back then. Now with the economy in the tank and the media fueling the hype on all these stores' Black Friday deals, I'm not surprised that something like this has finally happened. Only in America could Christmas shopping become a full contact sport. Nothin' like celebrating the birth of Our Savior by beating the crap out of someone in a Best Buy over that last Plasma Screen TV!!!

[Widda]

if you really want to split hairs Keefers, scolars agree Christ was born in the spring. but i get your point:)

[66 mustang]

Walmart gives a statement. The lady DIDN'T lose the baby. charges could be filed. Why was Mgmt not unlocking the doors???:

 

updated 1 hour, 22 minutes ago

NEW YORK - A Wal-Mart worker was killed Friday after an "out of control" throng of shoppers eager for post-Thanksgiving bargains broke down the doors at a suburban store and knocked him to the ground, police said.

 

At least four other people, including a woman 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.

 

Nassau police said about 2,000 people were gathered outside the store doors at the mall about 20 miles east of Manhattan. The impatient crowd knocked the man to the ground as he opened the doors, leaving a metal portion of the frame crumpled like an accordion.

 

 

 

"This crowd was out of control," said Nassau police spokesman Lt. Michael Fleming. He described the scene as "utter chaos."

 

Shoppers stepped over man

Dozens of store employees trying to fight their way out to help the man were also getting trampled by the crowd, Fleming said. Witnesses said that even as the worker lay on the ground, shoppers streamed into the store, stepping over him.

 

Kimberly Cribbs, who witnessed the stampede, said shoppers were acting like "savages."

 

"When they were saying they had to leave, that an employee got killed, people were yelling 'I've been on line since yesterday morning,'" she said. "They kept shopping."

 

The 34-year-old man was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 6 a.m., police said. The exact cause of death has not been determined. He was later identfied as Jdimytai Damour of Jamaica, Queens.

 

 

Click for related content

2 people killed inside Calif. Toys 'R' Us

Read more news from across the U.S.

 

 

A 28-year-old pregnant woman was taken to a hospital, where she and the baby were reported to be OK, said police Sgt. Anthony Repalone. At least three other people were taken to hospitals with minor injuries.

 

Criminal charges possible

Police said criminal charges were possible in the case, but Fleming said it would be difficult to identify individual shoppers. Authorities were reviewing surveillance video.

 

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., based in Bentonville, Ark., called the incident a "tragic situation" and said the employee came from a temporary agency and was doing maintenance work at the store.

 

"The safety and security of our customers and associates is our top priority," said Dan Fogleman, a company spokesman. "At this point, facts are still being assembled and we are working closely with the Nassau County Police as they investigate what occurred."

 

Shoppers around the country line up early outside stores on the day after Thanksgiving in the annual bargain-hunting ritual known as Black Friday. It got that name because it has historically been the day when stores broke into profitability for the full year.

[hsf]

Sorry. Didn't see the original thread on this topic until after my first post.

 

But, having worked all too many Black Fridays (or general "toy release" days) in my time there, I can speak first hand to the absolute lunacy that prevails on these type of days. After I had enough time, I always requested closing on these days so I didn't have to put up with the rush/insanity of the early morning crowds.

 

What a wonderful world!

[Jacob M.]

I intended to go to the sale today at Wal-Mart. It started raining hard at 2:30 in the morning and it woke me up. I decided to get up and check online. I checked out Amazon and Wal-Mart. Amazon had enough dvd's I was after and I found that Wal-Mart had the 2 most important items I was after so I decided to just stay home. I hate driving in rainy weather so the decision to stay home was even easier. Strangely enough I think a lot of other people had the same idea and Wal-Mart's site crashed. So I bought Spider-man 1+2, The Notebook, Monk season 2, and Weeds season 1 for my sister. Since my sister can't get tv stations where she lives I thought I would do her a favor and get her some good deals. I also bought an extra copy of Monk to give to my mom for Christmas. After I bought the stuff from Amazon at 4:30 or 5:00 I went back to bed. I got up just before 11:00 and checked out the Wal-Mart site. It was back up, but the camera I was trying to get for my sister was gone. The $29 printer was still there so I bought it. We don't have a printer so it was needed.

 

I must say that after finding out 3 people died even what I did seems a bit wrong. I almost feel selfish even though I had nothing to do with those peoples actions.

[Evil Rick]

Insanity!

 

This morning I was awoken at 3:30am to the sound of car doors slamming outside our window. We have had a string of people trying to break into garages in our town lately so I've been a bit on edge. I kept hearing these doors slamming so I look out the window and see 3 cars across the street and a bunch of women running around. I had no idea what was going on until my wife explained in a half daze that some of the stores around here opened at 4am so they were on a hunt for that "big deal".

 

My wife went out later this morning with my mom and a couple others.

 

I stayed home and watched hockey and drank beer.

 

My day was a hell of a lot cheaper, and a lot more enjoyable.

[cdjunky41]

Insanity!

 

This morning I was awoken at 3:30am to the sound of car doors slamming outside our window. We have had a string of people trying to break into garages in our town lately so I've been a bit on edge. I kept hearing these doors slamming so I look out the window and see 3 cars across the street and a bunch of women running around. I had no idea what was going on until my wife explained in a half daze that some of the stores around here opened at 4am so they were on a hunt for that "big deal".

 

My wife went out later this morning with my mom and a couple others.

 

I stayed home and watched hockey and drank beer.

 

My day was a hell of a lot cheaper, and a lot more enjoyable.

BLUE!

Your still my hero!

I spent all day with my wife cleaning our kitchen closets & refridgerator.

[hsf]

As if the insanity in Long Island wasn't enough, the other side of the country apparently had to get in on the act as well.

 

2 people (and AMAZINGLY only 2 people) died in a wild west showdown in a Toys 'R Us in CA.

 

TRU shootout in CA

[Faron]

Atrocious behaviour from adults who should know better

[metalhead4life]

Yeah...most people suck and are generally f**king idiots from my experience and in my opinion.Hope that cheap dvd player (that wasn't worth a sh*t to begin with) was worth it fools.

 

 

This is why I do not plan to go anywhere NEAR a mall or retail establishment of any kind today...

 

 

Yeah!

You know the world is fucked up when they have armed security in a TOYS R US stores.

Certain people need to be pistol whipped!!!

FA LA LA LA- LA LA LA!

 

 

Words of wisdom.

We need to post this somewhere more people can read this.

World is full of fools, each deserving a bullet to the head.

 

 

Words of wisdom.

We need to post this somewhere more people can read this.

World is full of fools, each deserving a bullet to the head.

 

AHH!

People don't care what we think!!

They will stop at nothing getting their monsters (Children) the perfect christmas gift.

These people are totally oblivious to reality.

 

 

This is why I do not plan to go anywhere NEAR a mall or retail establishment of any kind today...

 

 

Yea NO Shit.. Too many crazy shoppers out there today......

 

 

Well said. I stayed clear of all stores yesterday cause I knew it would be insane. Whatever is on sale isn't worth going through all the insanity of traffic and idiotic insane people. There's a lot of morons out there.

[heavyharmonies]

Yup. Last time I went out for the "Specials" was 5 or 6 years ago... I think. Can't recall.

 

Too much stupidity for too little bargain. Most stores only have a few units of the really good deals anyway, so if you're not one of the first 20 morons in line at 2:00am, you lose anyway.

 

Fuck that.

 

I remember the last time I did go out, it was bitterly cold (below 10 degrees), we got to Best Buy at 5:00am (at that time they opened at 6:30 or 7am) and found the line already stretched around the back of the store for 2 blocks. To top it off, when the doors opened, people who JUST arrived surged their way in the doors ahead of those of us who had been in line. Cocksuckers.

 

Later that morning, I remember standing in a checkout line at Circuit City for 1.5 hours just to get a few CDs and DVDs.

 

I vowed never again.

 

Most big retailers are now offering "Black Friday" deals online now too, so there's no reason to leave the house. Frankly, most of the "hot" deals I saw in the ads this year weren't any better than you could find online if you shopped judiciously.

 

I slept in and avoided the bullshit. I did venture out at noon to have a nice lunch at my Chinese buffet. That was nice.

 

Fuck day-after-Thanksgiving shopping. They've turned what was once a neat idea into a giant Krazed Konsumer Klusterfuck.

 

-Dan

 

P.S. Anyone else remember how, when this first got started, it was amazing that stores were going to open at... *gasp* 8:00am!!!!... then 7:00... then 6:00... now 5:00am with Best Buy advertising that they would start distributing tickets to those in line at 3:00am... They just keep pushing the insanity to new heights.

[Fat Freddy]

P.S. Anyone else remember how, when this first got started, it was amazing that stores were going to open at... *gasp* 8:00am!!!!... then 7:00... then 6:00... now 5:00am with Best Buy advertising that they would start distributing tickets to those in line at 3:00am... They just keep pushing the insanity to new heights.

 

Kohl's stores opened at 4 AM the day after Thanksgiving this year!!

[66 mustang]

for me, walmart supercenters don't close but on Christmas day so the day after thanksgiving people are like sharks in the store . They get there at midnight and wait for stuff. I remember when we were a division 1 store and would close for a few holidays but not now.

 

remember when all stores closed on Sundays? Then when they opened from 12-6 it was *gasp*. We need to go back to closing stores on Sundays in my opinion.

[Metal T]

Another thing to hate are these cocksuckers who don't know how to freakin' drive on the ice and snow...if you don't know how to drive on the stuff then get the hell off the damn road!