Another man described the scene as crazy.
Attention Wal-Mart Shoppers, Samurai Sword Sale In Aisle Three!
Posted on 11/26/2005 3:26:21 AM PST by freepatriot32
ORLANDO, Fla. - Security guards wrestled a man to the ground in a Wal-Mart after he cut in line to get laptop computers that were on sale Friday, a television station reported.
The man started arguing with people inside the store, WFTV-TV in Orlando reported. He then started fighting with the guards, the station reported
One man told WFTV that the laptops were being thrown into the air and people rushed toward them, collapsing on each other. Another man described the scene as crazy.
Orlando police and Orange County sheriff's officials didn't return phone messages seeking comment. The store's manager referred questions to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., where officials at had no immediate comment.
I say dispense with all of this chaos, and just adopt a simple aluminum pole and an airing of grievances. It appears we already have a jump on the "feats of strength." :-)
Damn this Bush Economy.
I love these Black Friday feeding frenzy stories
I have nothing really against Walmart, but I nominate the one at Memorial and I-244 in Tulsa Oklahoma as the darkest, filthiest, most rat infested and poorly staffed Walmart in the nation.
I know it's a cliche, but it really is a shame that this is what Christmas has become.
File this story about crazy post-Thanksgiving day shoppers under the seasonal media report (SMR) category along with the "long lines at the airport" story the day before Thanksgiving or the local "creche menace" story before Christmas.
Some 95% of this sort of savage battling over obtaining and holding cheap goods in limited quantities is due to the herd impulses of humanity. This is driven by the same basic instincts that kick in when gas rationing and price controls are imposed at all gasoline stations, or a price war between two or more stations breaks out.
Underpricing goods, while the quantity is limited, is a strategy to set up these interpersonal conflicts. The effects would have been lessened if instead of a limited number of items at an artificially low price, the goods offered would have been put up at auction, and sold to highest bidder, one item at a time, which would have eventually ended up with a strike price at which the interested parties would have considered "fair".
This is an indicated field of human psychology that probably needs more study. Apparently there is a NEED to establish markets, an aspect of humanity which abolishes the myth of socialism forever.
"One man told WFTV that the laptops were being thrown into the air and people rushed toward them, collapsing on each other."
Laptops thrown into the air? That can't be good for them.
Actually I'm not all that opposed to some self-righteous bastard getting his tail whipped for cutting in front of people who obviouly made a committed effort to wake up, wait and stand in queue. Even if every one of them was in a bad mood, they at least, were behaving like a civilized people instead of some third world mob. Enough so that when an animal attempted to cut in line thee was enough of a justified complaint to take this forceful action. I'd scream, too!
Any publicity is good publicity in this case. Good for Walmart for showing "You might think you can get away with it but you're gonna pay in blood."
Agree. The Rodney King treatment is the appropriate response to jerks who cut into lines (and that's NOT intended as sarcasm).
How much are political freedoms worth if we are slaves of harmful desire?
Tossing a laptop in the air does not harm it.
It's the landing that messes things up.
With the other articles on Drudge this a.m., about chaos in Wal Marts across the nation....is the press trying to imply that Wal Mart is BAAAAD? I get a kick out of the 'agendas'our esteemed 'fourth estate' finds worthy of headlines and editorials.
"Unbelievable.
I know it's a cliche, but it really is a shame that this is what Christmas has become."
Not what Christmas has become ... its what our society has become.
I read this stuff (and see a picture of a 73 year old women knocked to the ground at Walmart on Drudge) and say to myself "we must be in the final days". We're becoming like Rome in it's final days.
And the last minute tax filers.
The only time I throw my laptop in the air is when it soils itself.
This madness has gotten out of hand to the point that people are getting hurt and doing so with the full accord of the business. I would suggest no more "limited quantity" or "for 2 hours only"...if you put it out for sale you better be able to either supply the demand or give rain checks that can be filled in short order or you don't put it out for sale.
hee hee....
"Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son. I reached for the last one they had, but so did another man. As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way."
ROTFL !
ROFLMBO!
(sounds like winter has arrived in our native land)
No one is stopping you from buying your own laptops and selling them according to your rules.
How you can claim a right to tell others how they can trade their own private property is beyond me. What do you have against property rights anyway?
During the Great Northeastern Blackout II we were waiting in line for gasoline on Saturday morning when a Suburban Oriental Yuppie tried to cut in front of our 1963 Lincoln with his SUV. The guy in front of us stuck his head in the guy's passenger window and told him that if he did not get back in line, he personally would cut out his heart and stomp on it. The Yuppie bleated, "But I need gas!" And my friend in the Lincoln yelled, "What the **** do you think the rest of us are here for?" Shortly thereafter an unofficla squad of Line Police (large Black men, mainly) began patrolling the line and things settled back down.
IMO what they ought to do is give out wristbands when the Happy Shoppers show up. And stop when you get to the number of Goodies you have to give away. No wristband, no purchase. It worked beautifully for those wanting to buy tickets to the Rolling Stones concert and the women wanting to get autographs from Il Divo.
Yep, but Clark Griswald was a "professional". Count Cuzzin' Eddie out... you know... that US Guvmint plate in his head.
"If this side of my head gets dented Clark, my hair just ain't gonna look right"!
LLS
Well, what ARE you doing up, you don't have to get up to milk the cows any more....
Now that we have descended to the level of a third world country, perhaps we can get some aid from France.
Fighting, pushing, shoving, cutting in line and just plain salavating over discounts should be as outlawed as joking about a hijacking on an airline.
Although the fear of being thrown out of the plane at 30,000 feet isn't there, we could give store security one free shot at the violators! :-)
And parking lot bully's should have their rear windows smashed in! :-)
That'll teach 'em!
How about this, I went to the Walmart on Bells Ferry Road in Woodstock. They took people's names for the notebok- the first 20 customers (started lining up at 12:00 at night; thus, there was no fighting. The store is open all night. I wanted a desktop model. I was told they got 14. The Walmart employee said not to worry-not much interest in them. They were Desktops and cost $388.00. I went there at 2:00 AM and was the second person in line. My husband works for GM so we are trying to keep Christmas expenses as low as possible while still giving the kids a nice Christmas. The computer is the only thing my son (15) has asked for. The sale began at 5:00. As the night passed (slowly), hundreds of people lined up for the computers, those of us in the front got very nervouse and repeatedly went to management with concerns about safety. Just before 5:00 the Customer Service Manager refused to take the first 11 (only 11 computers in the store) people and then shut the computer line down. I almost got out of line. I had tried to call my husband, but he was a Best Buy trying to get a MP3 with 512 K for our daughter ($39.99). I was nervous but really wanted one for my son. It was very likely he would not get a computer if we didn't get this one. There were no rebates or anything. The man in front of me said just to stick with him, and he would get both of us a computer. You had to go about 150 feet to reach the computers. There was a 20 inch TV/VCR combo first, then a 15 inch LCD TV and then the computers. In the meantime the store annouced there would be two lines. The cops repeatedly told them not to do it, but the Customer Service Rep ignored them. At 5:00 AM the rope was cut people rushed towards the computers. By now there were about 500 people in line. This hispanic woman tackled me! I went down flat. She then tripped over me and fell on top of me. I don't know if she thought I tripped her or what but next she grabbed my hair and yanked it. Well, I had enough. My knee was on fire so I halled off and slapped her so hard I bet her ears are still ringing. Lord knows what would have happened then, but the cops pulled her off me and tossed her out of the
store. The policeman was very nice, and the gentleman in front of me did get a computer for me so all is well-except for my knee which is quite swollen. Walmart has acted very oddly-no real apology. They are just shocked that customers would act this way-shocked. Personally, when you have eleven items (they promised 15 in every store) and a line of 500 people, I think they should have known the potential for violence was there. In fact, they acted very badly. I think I should call corporate and complain.
11) Thou shalt not cut line to steal
a Black Friday Walmart shopping deal!
I should say this is nyconse-not bronxboy (husband). I didn't realize his ID was on the computer today. Also, I meant hauled-not well you know. Nervous is spelled wrong as well. Spellcheck is our friend.
Now for the best, cleanest and nicest staff I nominate the Waynesboro, VA WalMart...over any store.
Yesterday morning there was a radio report of a "near riot" breaking out at a South Philadelphia Wal-Mart when they ran out of laptop computers. Of course, with MSM exaggeration, near riot could mean two people having a tug of war and shouting match over the last laptop.
year after year there are reports of stampedes and such when it comes to cheap laptops, televisions and computer games... you'd think these stores would have a better way of selling these, maybe as unannounced specials or maybe order enough to fill demand ... agreed that people act stupid but to bait the people into doing this year after year is a bit unseemly
You could have avoided losing all that time and gaining all that aggravation with:
http://www1.us.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/odg_special48?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs
Years ago I ventured out to WM on Black Friday.
Bad mistake!
First of all, I got into an argument with a man over a parking spot. It was a matter of who reached it first because we both spotted it at the same time. (I got there first). I couldn't comfortably shop for fear of him slashing my tires while I was in the store.
I had to stand in line to get a shopping cart as they were in very short supply.
I had to stand in line with my shopping cart for something at customer service (I don't recall). While in line, a woman with a toddler YANKED my shopping cart from me and plopped her toddler and stuff into it! (one of those situations which left me too dumbfounded to say or do anything, plus I didn't think it would be good to punch mom in front of her kid).
Stood in line for ANOTHER shopping cart. Got a few items. Camped out in electronics to buy a camera with my full shopping cart about 2 feet behind me. After paying for my camera I noticed my shopping cart was gone and my stuff was piled on a shelf! I WAS QUITE P.O.D!
Actually except for the computer, Walmart handled Friday very well. They had orderly lines, gave people numbers (didn't have the merchandise on floor). There were some really good deals on digital cameras, portable DVD players, Playstation. The computer and the LCD TV were right next to each other. Many people wanted them and they only had a few. The doors are right there so the front of the store was a mass of people-no real lines.
I find that there is an "agenda" in EVERY news story these days.
The Dell is a nice computer, but when I called they would not guarantee it for Christmas. Also, I had to pay shipping and handling.
Best Buy got 20 of the new Xboxes-my husband didn't get one. We didn't want one anyway. Someone followed a lady home from Best Buy the first time they went on sale and stole it from her. I hear the store gave her another one and hired more security.
A very rational and good idea. The problem with it is that it is anti-thetical to the real reason for these "Black Friday" deals---which is to pull in a lot of people for these specific deals in the hopes that a significant portion of them will also buy "non-deal" items. The "wristband" idea would mean a smaller total number of people coming into the store(s).
It sounds to me like WM WANTED this to happen.
Perhaps they like the publicity from these stories.
Hey, folks keep coming back every year for this stuff, don't they? People are nuts. I'm glad you got a punch in.
yes, I saw that story in the news about the woman being robbed. A pox on the man who did it. I hope his stolen X box shorts out and burns down his house.
: )
I hope so too. There is another thread that say the store gave her a new xbox. LOL
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