I have to comment on a news happening. I haven't seen or heard any big newspapers or channels commenting on this in the last couple days. A man was trampled to death in a Walmart by shoppers trying to get into the store for a good deal. Or shall I say greedy animals trying to get into a store? Having worked in retail and having seen some of this mentality I can’t say I am surprised. I’m surprised that it hasn’t happened before. I used to have nightmares about a fire breaking out in the store and customers refusing to leave until someone rang up their sales. I have no doubt it would happen.
In the Kmart that I worked in we had a gentleman have a heart attack in an aisle. He was laying on the floor with some of us trying to help him and people kept trying to go around us with their shopping carts. I got up and closed off the aisle, only to have people complain about having to go around.
During one of our famous blue light specials another worker and I came from the stockroom with a flatbed of wrapping paper they were advertising and were attacked by a crowd at the door. My friend was actually knocked down but I managed to help her up. We stood back and let them rip the boxes open with their bare hands, the paper was gone in seconds and people were entering the stockroom looking for more. I refused to help with those super specials after that.
What really ticks me is that the shooting at another store in California is still getting news coverage but the Walmart death, which I think is far more disturbing, has vanished from the news. I have no doubt that Walmarts ability to control vast advertising markets has something to do with that. The news channels don’t want to anger them.
Is it Walmarts fault? To some extent, yes. They have the right to advertise sales, that’s a good thing for everyone. But when you see huge crowds building up outside the store hours before opening you better do some quick security planning. I think maybe all cities should ban crowds from assembling outside stores like this unless the store agrees to hire off duty armed policemen to control them. A couple of snarling police dogs at the entrance of that store may have kept the other animals in line. But then you have pushing from behind etc. so maybe the crowds should just be dispersed.
Certainly when they break through the door and trample people to death they shouldn’t be rewarded by allowing them to have the items they were after. Walmart actually allowed those animals to purchase things before they closed the store- when the police got there and demanded they close. I bet some people left bragging that they “ Had to kill someone to get this!” How horrible! If I was an employee at that store I would have refused to wait on anyone that pushed through those doors and probably would have went home.
To make matters worse that store actually re-opened the same afternoon. What poorly paid Walmart employee had to wash the blood off the floor? A horrific death occurred and yet money making prevailed, the store couldn’t be closed for a day to let other employees get over their shock and to show some respect for the employee who died in the line of duty. They should have closed and paid employees for the day. It’s a sad day when people are so afraid of losing a low paying job that they would actually go to work that day.
Even though it was caught on security cameras police say they will have a hard time charging anyone. Bull. Take everyone who paid by check or credit card from the time the incident happened to the time the police closed the store and charge them with at least accessory to murder. If they weren’t repelled enough to leave after what happened then they are more than likely the ones who didn’t care about stomping on a man on the ground. They have cameras at the check outs too, so ID all those who thought a life was worth getting a good deal.
During the chaos Walmart probably lost as much money to shoplifters as they would have if they immediately shut down all cash registers. Were they afraid for their lives? Then maybe its time to re-think security for these events. No parking lot line ups for more than ten minutes before opening. Actually close the lots off and chase out anyone walking into the lot before that. When the lots are opened people have to park and get out so it would disperse some of the crowd. Armed guards at the door might be another idea. Give some of the local police officers overtime pay [ paid by the store] to stand at the entrance and control crowds.
If this kind of melee happens again maybe its time to charge the store with something- inciting a riot? Believe me, these stores love to create excitement, people fighting over what they perceive are scarce items make other people anxious to grab things too. It’s about money- about sales figures. So it is up to them to make sure that no one gets hurt in the process, particularly the employees.
I am also angry at the liberal news media who have backed off this story. They should be chastising all the idiots out there who are willing to take a life to get a good deal on some gadget they probably don’t need anyway. Idiots who are too afraid of their own kids who can’t tell them “we can’t afford that”. Morons who value things over anyone’s life. The liberal media are probably kowtowing to Walmart when it tells them it wants this out of the news. After all aren’t we supposed to be promoting spending to help the economy?
This is one reason I never, ever shop on the Friday after Thanksgiving. The deals aren’t worth watching people turn into animals. Black Friday sure lives up to its name.
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