Posted on 11/25/2005 2:01:37 PM PST by paulat
Woman, 73, says she was knocked down, stepped on during 'Black Friday' at Sawgrass Mills
By Joseph Mann Sun-Sentinel Posted November 25 2005, 9:26 AM EST
"Black Friday," the traditional start of the holiday shopping season, began in South Florida early today with a 73-year-old woman being knocked down as a crowd at an electronics store rushed a metal security gate to get inside.
The crowd of shoppers outside BrandsMart USA in Sawgrass Mills, angry at being forced to wait by security personnel, pushed their way under the security gate and down a hallway into the store, forcing dozens of people against the walls and trampling the woman.
"I was trying to get out of the way, but they knocked me down," said Josephine Hoffman of Coconut Creek, who was standing immediately outside the gate as a human wave rushed inside, carrying her along.
"I hit my head on the floor, and people stepped on me," said the woman, who was resting on a box of merchandise inside the store following the 7:30 a.m. incident. "I don't understand why people do these things."
A store manager asked whether she needed medical attention and called for assistance, while Hoffman's two daughters phoned the police.
[snip]
(Excerpt) Read more at sun-sentinel.com ...
Ah, yes. I remember a Doobie Bros. Concert at the old Hollywood sportatorium years ago. General admission seating. My brother and I got there early with our pre-paid tickets and were the first in line. By the time the gates opened, there had to be several hundred at that gate.
I literally felt myself get lifted off the ground and carried through by the crowd. It was - well, frightening.
I no longer go to general seating concerts.
(Sorry - I didn't mean to get off-topic here. But you can't really trust a crowd of strangers to look out for you).
So much for the celebration of Christ's birth. I wonder if the three king's aides stepped on folks to purchase the gold, frankincense and myrhh?
Agreed!
STOP THE MALL WARS! BRING THE SHOPPERS HOME, NOW!!!!!!
I do, too. There are so many good deals and free shipping offers...and best of all...they bring it right to your door!!!
In the past month...I have bought a BEAUTIFUL convection oven...a chef's knife...a vacuum cleaner...and a magnificent 19" LCD monitor ($199!!!) online.
FReepmail me if you want to know about the monitor deal. (I have no connection...just found it online).
Dude, I think I was there. It was 1979, "Ambrosia" was the opening act. I got crushed at the gate at many of those general admission concerts, particularly at an Emerson Lake & Palmer concert. Man, those were the days. If you got bored by the music you could go outside and cruise for chicks. I spent many a night at the Sportatorium seeing bands that I didn't even like (Foreigner, Heart, Rush, etc) just because there was nothing else better to do. Pre-South Beach Miami was pretty boring.
I start my Christmas shopping in June/July; have it finished by the end of September/mid October and I get what I want on sale or at a good price.
Dang, I miss Ambrosia!!
Thanks for the tag compliment! I shop online too, same for my husband, ya just can't beat the deals. I go to the mall once in a while, but I usually have something specific in mind, and NEVER on a day like today!! I also go there to get a break on the weekends while the kiddies are sleeping and hubby is home. People who go out on days like today are brave and I had one pre-test down and one to go to get my black belt (before I started having kids!)
Me too and....I wrap, tag and bow all my purchases. Put them away covered with plastic. Sure makes for an easy Christmas Week countdown. We're baking tomorrow and cooking extra foods this week that can be defrosted and heated. Holiday don't HAVE TO BE hard...we all just make them that way ourselves. :)
Amen, Amen, Amen.
Rock'Em, Sock'Em Magi. Quite an image, that.
I'll probably put my artifical tree together on Sunday. Don't know if I'll decorate then or a bit at a time over the next week. I've got a 7 month old kitten that's going to have to learn its not a new toy for her. :~)
So much for the celebration of Christ's birth.
Considering there was no room in the inn and EVERYONE was traveling do you really think everyone was nice n polite?
Seriously doubt it. Everyone was grumbling and bitter about having to be counted in order to be taxed.
Times just like people don't change.
The stores do this on purpose..If they had enough product to go around,instead of 3 items of a killer deal[example x box 360,my store had 12 of them and tons of people lined up for 14 hours to get them]these scenes wouldn't happen...When the sale starts at 5 am and the sale items are gone by 6am,the store had loss leaders but never bothered to tell the customers that..Used car dealers used to do that before a law was changed forcing them to tell the truth..I have only one car at 99.00
Ahh yes, the decadant innocence of late 70's pop rock. I remember thinking what a boring time it was to be a teenager. In hindsight, everyone was taking a breather from all the tumult of the 60's/early 70's and just chillin' to laid back LA rock and disco.
I was recently at my gym and they were playing "Free Ride" by the Edgar Winter group. A few songs later, "Disco Inferno" came on. I was taken aback by how similar they sounded, at least in comparison to all the contemporary dance and rock stuff that they were playing in between. That's when Black musicians still used electric guitar and bass.
Christmas tree and a 7 mo old kitten? Good luck? :)
PS: In my post I said: "Holiday don't have to be hard." I MEANT to say: "HOLIDAYS don't have to be hard." :)
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