Why was there so much violence in the stores today?

[ColbertWatcher]

[Breeze54]

1. Walmart is to fucking cheap to hire 'real' police.

They should be sued.

[ColbertWatcher]

19. That's a good point.

With that many people at the front door, and a history of injuries at their stores during this exact event in previous years, the company should have known to have real security personnel opening the door, not a cashier.

Wal-Mart needs to learn from their mistakes.

[hendo]

30. "real" police?

Somehow I think the real cops have more important things to do than watch over a bunch of moronic shoppers.

[Nicole]

34. Off duty cops working as security guards

Several stores here hire real police.

[hendo]

41. most off duty cops that i know

about 50, spend time with thier families when they are off. Well, either with thier families, or at the bar.

[silverojo]

31. Toys R Us had a double shooting in Palm Desert

You can't just blame Wal-Mart. It's Black Friday, period. All retailers are guilty of creating dangerous situations with these very short, limited-time sales.

[Angleae]

33. And just how many stores do you go to have "real" police?

[HopeFor2006]

2. Fearmongering

People are afraid that we are headed for another depression. Better get the holiday shopping done before the banks collapse!

[Night_Nurse]

3. Corporate greed and human stupidity...

Which is why I make it a point NOT to shop on "black Friday".

[BrklynLiberal]

5. A combination that is fatal...to the stupid human

[Lilith Velkor]

20. So you think the poor dead guy was stupid for going to work today?

:thumbsdown:

[blondeatlast]

4. Other; I worked many, many Black Fridays, often opening the doors myself.

Popular stores, honestly good deals. This was in the '80s and '90s. People waiting outside were in a communal rather than competitive spirit then; I never saw any worse than a heated argument.

I blame the retailers' cutthroat antics (one in particular) against each other more than I do anything else. Sonmething has changed--and that something is the retail business itself, especially at the discount level.

[Forkboy]

6. Going shopping the day after Thanksgiving is like my Seventh Level of Hell nightmare.

I can barely stand to be around people on the best of days, forget the days where they act like rabid dingos on crack*.




*The worst kind of dingo, let me assure you.

[NoPasaran]

23. Say what you will about rabid dingos on crack

But they have almost no interest in 60 inch High Definition TVs.

[Forkboy]

24. And God bless them for it!

:)

[asteroid2003QQ47]

38. Worst kind of dingo? I think not!

Holiday shopping/bargain hunting Rabid CHRISTIAN dingos on crack are FAR worse!

[DJ13]

7. The stores need to stop advertising product when they know they

dont have enough to meet demand.

That forces people to rush into the stores just to have a slim chance they will get one of the "door buster" products.

[blondeatlast]

10. Not a new phenom; it was done in the 80s and 90s when I was in retail. nt

[DJ13]

11. I was in retail from the mid 70's up to 1998

Its worse now.

Used to be a normal quantity for a Black Friday sale was at least over 100 per store, but now its not uncommon for them to advertise for days all those "great deals" and only have 5 of an item in stock.

[blondeatlast]

13. It's unconscionable--and I'm certain you know what it si to be on the receiving end

of a parent who can't get her/his child their most wanted gift.

[gratuitous]

8. What else would you expect?

Our society is awash in two things: Materialism and Militarism. For the last eight years, our government has modeled the behavior that might makes right, even when you're horribly, murderously, even expensively wrong. Someone has something you want? Settle it with threats, fisticuffs, or weapons. The only surprising thing is that there wasn't more of this sort of thing going on. And we're so enured to violence, that even when shoppers at the Long Island Wal-Mart were informed that that poor sod was trampled to death, they want to . . . keep shopping! His loss. Too bad. So sad. Now, get outta my way, I want that $5.95 watch!

[ColbertWatcher]

18. True, I heard news reports saying the store did open back up at around noon. n/t

[Bluzmann57]

9. Other

We all want a "deal". All of us. And walmart is advertising "deals" so you can drop money at their stores. Apparently it's working because people are so anxious to get in first to get said "deals", they are trampling some poor innocent guy to death. And walmart takes no responsibilty. When a store advertises "best shit around" (my words obviously), they should be prepared for stampeding people who are perfectly willing to act like animals. They MUST provide an orderly way to enter the store.

[ColbertWatcher]

16. Especially since it's happened before at Wal-Mart. n/t

[Double T]

12. Many americans are greedy, self-centered materialistic A-holes!

[Crunchy Frog]

14. Just people remembering the true spirit of Christmas.

[xchrom]

15. cheap america. it's a pavlovian response --

people want -- desperately -- what they think is a premium product at a rock bottom price.

it represents an extraordinary metaphor for what has been happening in america for the last thirty years.

[leftofthedial]

17. why do you hate Amurka?

[MindMatter]

21. Because only morans are out there shopping like this.

Anybody with any sense is using some restraint this year.

[defendandprotect]

22. They've been speading VIOLENT concepts on TV since at least '70's ...

Used phony DRUG WAR a lot to make citizens frightened --

Why do you think we have so many gun nuts now--??

And it gets worse on TV every day -- I don't watch TV but every now and then

I take a run thru the channels monitoring it. About 10 daqys ago I saw a

bound woman on a table being tortured by a male. Basic cable but didn't chech channel.

They've used TV very successfully to make Americans stupid, depressed and

frightened of one another.

IMO, that's what the Patty Hearst and Manson stuff were about --

A lit of "Wizard of Oz" has gone down in America --

IMAGINE no Drug War......

[ColbertWatcher]

25. Who is the "they" you're talking about?

They've used TV very successfully to make Americans stupid, depressed and

frightened of one another.

Just asking.

[defendandprotect]

29. Who controls what's on your TV ....???

Isn't it just 5 companies now --?

However, the "they" would always be those moving us to fascism --

and that went into high gear the day they shot JFK --

Of course a lot of crap happened before that ...

Nazis used to found CIA .. funneled into FBI ... NASA ...

The MIND CONTROL programs ...

You're not suspicious at all of Drug War --- ?

And/or find what's being shown on TV benign or normal --????

[ColbertWatcher]

37. I was only asking, so I could understand what you're talking about. n/t

[Cleita]

26. Other. Poor planning about and disregard for the safety of both employees

and customers. When you throw a rock concert you'd better have the security micro-managed. The stores threw an event but did business as usual and it got out of hand. They didn't have the back up plan and security to control large crowds.

[ColbertWatcher]

27. Good point.

Not to mention they've experienced injuries at their Black Friday events before.

[brentspeak]

28. Some of the stampeders may have been resellers

Bargain shoppers, not necessarily to buy a product for themselves or someone else, but to make some bucks flipping it for a profit. They know that there's a only a few of the great advertised bargains in the store, and their goal is to beat the other resellers out before it's too late.

Estate/tag sales usually have some kind of crowd control involving numbers or lists, because everyone knows that they'll be a stampede without some order.

[VPStoltz]

32. I'm completely surprised someone wasn't shot.

Hopefully, some day our educational system will be good enough that children will be able to understand what the first clause of the 2nd Amendment says - and means - how it modifies the second clause.

[JDPriestly]

35. Americans are angry and afraid that there won't be enough of whatever it is they want.

It's very sad. There really is plenty of what we need if only we are a bit less greedy, if only we can control our wanting just a bit.

[TexasObserver]

36. Confluence

The bad economy is the ignition point. People are desperate to get their best possible deals, and many know that if they don't get those special gifts they promised someone nailed down early, they'll be chasing more expensive versions all over town.

Violence is a reflection of personal violence, and its role in today's world. It was isolated, yet we hear about it because such news travels instantly now.

[Edweird]

39. Because people are classless selfish scumbags.

[cushla_machree]

40. Why do poor people have to have expensive goods?

I always wondered that. When you have so little, do you desire to have something? I am always amazed at how some people don't have a pot to piss in and have more expensive electronics than i would ever get!