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Friday, November 28, 2008


Wal-Mart Worker Dies In Black Friday Stampede

Update: Per the comments below, I mixed up two people from the linked article.  The pregnant woman didn’t die.  She was injured.  The person who was killed was a male.

She was 28 and pregnant:

A Wal-Mart worker died after being trampled when hundreds of shoppers smashed through the doors of a Long Island store Friday morning, police and witnesses said.

The 34-year-old worker, employed as an overnight stock clerk, tried to hold back the unruly crowds just after the Valley Stream store opened at 5 a.m.

Witnesses said the surging throngs of shoppers knocked the man down. He fell and was stepped on. As he gasped for air, shoppers ran over and around him.

“He was bum-rushed by 200 people,” said Jimmy Overby, 43, a co-worker. “They took the doors off the hinges. He was trampled and killed in front of me. They took me down too…I literally had to fight people off my back.”

The unidentified victim was rushed to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:03 a.m., police said.

There are a lot of people (mostly liberal types) who turn up their noses at the “grotesque spectacle” of “black friday.”  They rail against what they call “rampant consumerism,” but I don’t really see a problem with it.  The shoppers want to shop.  The stores want to sell them stuff.  Creating some hype and pageantry around the holiday shopping season is just good marketing.

Clearly, stampeding someone to death is pretty horrific, but I’d chalk this up to poor management and bad crowd control more than anything else.

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Comments

Amazing that a toy or TV would be worth someone’s life.

Just ridiculous.

I used to be on the other end of it, working at Best Buy when I was in college.

It’s amazing how stupid some consumers can be.

They’ll lose a finger in the door just to save 5 bucks on a car speaker.


Gman ( o)==:::

No Shoulder Shrugs.  A lie left unchallenged soon becomes the truth.

One Big Ass Mistake, America


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Gman on November 28, 2008 at 10:56 am
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What’s more amazing is the title says “She was 28 and pregnant” but the story describes a “HE” Is there more going on at Walmart than meets the eye??

A Citizen on November 28, 2008 at 11:19 am

What’s more amazing is the title says “She was 28 and pregnant” but the story describes a “HE” Is there more going on at Walmart than meets the eye??

The story also describes a 28 year old pregnant woman who gets injured.


It’s all political bullshit. Liberals (and Robert108) lie and spin and twist and obscure and distract and cheat to protect their guys and hurt the opposing team. It’s like wrestling. They distract the ref while their team mate hits you with a chair. There’s no rule they won’t break, no law they won’t skirt, no crime they won’t forgive as long as they can win.

Kenny on November 28, 2008 at 11:35 am
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The story also describes a 28 year old pregnant woman who gets injured.

Yeah, sorry, I mixed the story up a bit.  I’m correcting.


The purpose of government shouldn’t be to do good, but simply to refrain from doing evil.

Rob on November 28, 2008 at 11:41 am

That is so sad. The store ought to better anticipate and prepare for such a crowd and the shoppers need to exercise some self control and common sense. What an unnecessary tragedy. :(

It isn’t all store mismanagement. Once I was shopping at a 12 hour candy sale. When I picked up the last bag of Almond Joy, I may as well have yelled “fire!” with the reaction I got from one lady with a glazed over look in her eyes. After I gave her the bag of candy, she instantly regained her breath and resumed consciousness and trotted happily to the cashier with a bashful, “Oh, thank you.” It was scary.


“The bite of grief tests the coin of belief.”

dawneyr on November 28, 2008 at 11:49 am
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Some of our hordes are acting like they do in third world countries, or soccer hooligans. For shame but consider, could not Wal-mart, with the obscene wealth that family has, provide a couple of off duty cops, or bouncers, to keep the crowd in check? For shame, again.

studakota on November 28, 2008 at 11:56 am
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I’m sure that some personal injury lawyer just got their Christmans present. How much do you think the wrongful death lawsuit will get from Walmart?

John D on November 28, 2008 at 12:44 pm
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Yeah, sorry, I mixed the story up a bit.  I’m correcting.

Since this was Walmart, the article also didn’tmention if the woman was an illegal carrying an achor baby. Any info or updates??

A Citizen on November 28, 2008 at 12:45 pm

They have video cameras.

Locate the throng of people who trampled the poor guy. Process accordingly. Send video to news teams, and ostracize the sheeple for their disregard of a human life, over that shiny new 360.

Eddie_the_Hated on November 28, 2008 at 12:53 pm

Not much of a depression then is it Obama voters?

golfmann on November 28, 2008 at 01:07 pm
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Since this was Walmart, the article also didn’tmention if the woman was an illegal carrying an achor baby. Any info or updates??

Wal-Mart is hardly the worst offender when it comes to employing illegal immigrants.


The purpose of government shouldn’t be to do good, but simply to refrain from doing evil.

Rob on November 28, 2008 at 01:07 pm

I agree with Rob on this one. Walmart is in no way responsible for what happened to these people. Sure, Walmart was aware that there would be crowds and the people may have gotten out of control. However, it is the shoppers who acted like crazed animals in order to get the bargains.
Of course, in our “victim”-minded society there will be calls for a lawsuit against Walmart. And we “must” make every effort to identify the people who are responsible. But, you know, shit happens. That’s life. And for you elitists, we should not assume to be better than the rest of the world. Getting something for nothing is a desirability all peoples share. We are all animals, remember. And what pregnant woman in her right mind would place herself in a situation where she would certainly be jostled by a large crowd. Everybody there knew there would be a mad rush once the doors opened. But they were willing to participate.

ollie-B on November 28, 2008 at 03:03 pm
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It is more than a little disgusting to see people whipped up into a frenzy over discounted consumer electronics.


The purpose of government shouldn’t be to do good, but simply to refrain from doing evil.

Rob on November 28, 2008 at 03:05 pm

Some people were also killed by a crowd out of control I think it was in the 80s, they were waiting to see a show by rock band the Who if memory serves.

You can not blame the Who or Walmart for the bad behavior of a crowd.

crowds sometimes have the effect of lowering the IQ of everyone in it.

Friend of USA on November 28, 2008 at 03:29 pm
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Yeah.  Mob mentality.


The purpose of government shouldn’t be to do good, but simply to refrain from doing evil.

Rob on November 28, 2008 at 03:33 pm
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If you ask me, that’s what elected Barack Obama.


The purpose of government shouldn’t be to do good, but simply to refrain from doing evil.

Rob on November 28, 2008 at 03:33 pm
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My husband,{I’ve said before he has severe lymphodema} was awake all night and was looking at the Walmart sales circular. He said I think I will go over there and pick up some of these things that are on sale for the kids. I said, “Hell No!” He thought I was overreacting, he never has been shopping on Black Friday. I think it is kind of crazy the way people act. Like Dawn was saying, People’s eyes glaze over and they act possessed. Last year I was shopping for my grandson some hot toy at Toys r Us, and I picked up the last one. This big woman, she didn’t speak english very well, started gibbering at me. I shook my head and started for the register, and said “I’m sorry, I was here first.” She started yelling no at me, and tried to rip it from my hands. When I wouldn’t give it to her she slapped me in the face. Fortunately, the store people saw her and took her away, but who knows what she would have done if they hadn’t? Would she have followed me to the parking lot? She was about 6’ and 250 lbs, compared to my 5’2 and 125 lbs. I think people need to get a grip. If times get much tougher, expect to see more of this, how will it be if we have basic goods shortages? Scary.

di butler on November 28, 2008 at 03:38 pm

If you ask me, that’s what elected Barack Obama.

Is nothing below you?

First you make the disgusting post saying “At least it wasn’t us” about the terrorist attacks and now you try to politicize this persons death and blame it on Obama voters.

You need some serious self-reflection.

Lioncourt on November 28, 2008 at 03:40 pm
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I was referring to the phenomena of mob mentality in general, you dullard, not suggesting that these Wal-Mart shoppers who trampled someone to death were Obama supporters.

I think you’d be a little less outraged if you took the time to understand what you were reading.


The purpose of government shouldn’t be to do good, but simply to refrain from doing evil.

Rob on November 28, 2008 at 03:46 pm

Rob,

It also crossed my mind to mention this same “mob mentality” phenomenom did help elect Obama.

Here is something I read a couple weeks ago that says it better than I ever could,

« Obama and the Politics of Crowds »

« The masses greeting the candidate on the trail are a sign of great unease. »

By Foud Ajami oct 30 2008,

…As the late Nobel laureate Elias Canetti observes in his great book, “Crowds and Power” (first published in 1960), the crowd is based on an illusion of equality: Its quest is for that moment when “distinctions are thrown off and all become equal. It is for the sake of this blessed moment, when no one is greater or better than another, that people become a crowd.”

A leader does not have to say much, or be much. The crowd is left to its most powerful possession — its imagination.

From Elias Canetti again: “But the crowd, as such, disintegrates. It has a presentiment of this and fears it. . . . Only the growth of the crowd prevents those who belong to it from creeping back under their private burdens.

Sorry I don’t have a URL… I only have this little copy and paste I took from Commonsenseandwonder.com a blog that - unfortunatly - has disapeared from the web a few days ago…

Friend of USA on November 28, 2008 at 04:31 pm

I was referring to the phenomena of mob mentality in general, you dullard, not suggesting that these Wal-Mart shoppers who trampled someone to death were Obama supporters.

You are politicizing a tragedy.  I understand what you are doing.  Don’t fool yourself so much to believe that a reasonably smart 4th grader couldn’t understand what you are writing.  You are not very complicated. 

You are a callous son of a bitch.  You don’t seem t realize that politicizing tragedy is wrong, especially when there is no relation between the two incidents.  You are just trying to score cheap political points, because the complicated ones are too hard for you.

Lioncourt on November 28, 2008 at 07:32 pm
Avatar for ObamaisGOd

Blue-State animals. Listen to the cell phone clip, the animals laughed while the NYPD tried to save the man’s life.

ObamaisGOd on November 28, 2008 at 07:53 pm

Rob, your statement (when referring to Mob mentality)says:
“If you ask me, that’s what elected Obama.” Then, further down the page I see a dissertation on crowds. If John McCain had drawn larger crowds than Obama, you would be head over heels with joy. Whooping it up about how your candidate was able to inspire the people. But he didn’t and you lost. When is your pity party going to end? Or is hypocrisy a natural trait of the conservative elite?

ollie-B on November 28, 2008 at 10:10 pm
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Ollie,

You really need to learn a thing or two about stereotypes.

McCain wasn’t my candidate.  I didn’t support him in the primaries, and I didn’t vote for him for President.  That he got the GOP nomination speaks volumes to me about how much trouble the Republican party is in.  So no, I wouldn’t be happy if he got large crowds.

The mob mentality I speak of is people acting in groups based on whims and fancies.  Given the superficial nature of Obama’s hope ‘n change campaign, I think this is an apt comparison.

You can disagree, of course, but you’re wrong.

You are a callous son of a bitch.  You don’t seem t realize that politicizing tragedy is wrong, especially when there is no relation between the two incidents.

Call me names if you want, but nowhere did I suggest that anyone involved in this trampling was of any particular political bent.  You read that in, and I’ll not take responsibility for your flights of fancy.


The purpose of government shouldn’t be to do good, but simply to refrain from doing evil.

Rob on November 28, 2008 at 10:16 pm

I’ve been to the Valley Stream Mall on Black Friday three times and shopped there many more times in the past five years. The crowds at the main mall building where Pennys, Macys, Sears, etc are at are about 90% black and pretty civilized. Like all malls, they have a few characters running around, but on the whole it is a nice safe place. I have never seen the crowd waiting for the doors to be opened push and shove. There are always plenty of “excuse me’s”, “sorry’s”, and “no problem’s”. Wall Mart, on the other hand, is isolated across the parking lot next to Liquidators. I went into the Wall Mart store once and inventory was all over the floors along with food sold there. The place smelled bad and the crowd was about the same demographics but much more rude. I never went back. Liquidators, right next door, competes in pricing but the store is cleaner and the crowd is more polite. There is a Home Depot close to Wall Mart that is also very clean and well run. The Home Depot not to far away in Freeport is filthy, fairly unsafe, and the crowd, which is about 50% white, is on par with the Wall Mart crowd. This is a management problem and people will do what you expect of them.

ews48 on November 28, 2008 at 11:13 pm
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I disagree with ya’ll about Walmart not being responsible. The store should have had more security and crowd control. I read several different articles on this, and the 2,000 plus crowd was already getting revved up, and I thing it took on a mob mentality. The people who stomped over a trapped man should be prosecuted. Reckless endangerment.

di butler on November 29, 2008 at 04:24 am

Regarding the incident where a Wal-Mart employee was trampled to death this past Friday by shoppers in a state of buying frenzy - could make a great a promotional vehicle for all retailers.

I really feel sorry for the man who was killed, but look at it this way. He gave his life for some great bargains that will bring happiness to the multitude of shoppers who purchased these items that will be opened Christmas eve and morning bringing joy to the recipients.

It would certainly be nice if Wal Mart would declare a one day “Damour” shopping spree in memory of Jdimytai Damour, the man who was killed, with all the store’s proceeds going to his family and heirs.

Sporting goods stores such as BIG-5, K-Mart, SportsBarn, etc. promoted their fishing tackle departments with such ads as “ROD RIOTS” and “DOOR BUSTERS” that was and is standard fare in advertising.

Opening my early weekend newspaper my eye caught these ads. While in my PJ’s sipping coffee at the kitchen table I read these ads.

I envisioned barrels and racks of high quality fishing rods marked down to prices less than the cost of manufacture ready to be scooped up for bargain prices.

I also conjured that if I went down to the retailers who were promulgating this form of retail civil disobedience -  That I would be either assaulted by fellow sportsman or sportswomen or caught in this maelstrom of dog eat dog, fang to fang purchasing and be subject to arrest by local, state and federal authorities for inciting to riot.  Or be charged as an anarchist ready to overthrow our government for a few fishing rods.

Rather to expose myself to the slings and arrows of this outrageous purchasing, I chose to lay in bed and buy such items at garage sales later without the scars of retail battle.

Old Ed of the Delta

PISCATOR on December 2, 2008 at 03:13 pm
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