Posted on 11/28/2008 7:02:13 AM PST by GQuagmire
On a normal basis, I would be a huge Walmart defender. THIS Walmart, THIS store didn’t do a good job. People got killed and that is tragic. Who would have thought the doors would shatter and the crowd would kill two people?
That being said, Walmart does need the change the policy and do what Circuit City did (hand out numbers) or what Office Max did (let everyone in, form another line, then take customers five at a time to get merchandise in the back room).
I suspect this will be the last time this is done this way at Walmart.
A lot of places handle this problem. The fact that WM knew they’d get a large crowd set up their responsibility to do something. Every little ticketmaster outlet and movie theatre knows this. Why not the big guy?
Can you give me a link to that clip?
Well to be fair...
There are thousands of Walmarts all over the country. One store had a problem.
Along with that, the doors shattered. That has never happened before. Like I said, I think it will be different next year.
The direction to the stores should have been countrywide from top management on the basis of past experience and the discounts they were going to provide.
If I were the CEO, the COO would be fired already.
They schedule employees, change store hours, and stock the shelves on the basis of expected shoppers. They just don't do security for it.
The company will write a very big check for their failure.
I don’t know. Here im my part of MI, there is extra security for Black Friday at Walmart. I’ve been there and seen it (our Walmart is NOT open 24 hours) But no amount of security, save helmeted, shielded police with stun guns and dogs could stop some crowds.
Especially considering this.
The doors shattered from the weight of the (NYT admitted) unusually heavy crowd (because of the warmer weather).
In some ways, you are expecting this Walmart to know this would happen when in past practice, it did not.
“The brain-dead crowd took the hinges off the doors and stormed the store. What law enforcement personnel or Wal-mart could have stopped them? A metal portion of one door was crumpled like an accordian. Wal-mart is not responsible for people behaving like Neaderthals after the hunt. “
The objective wouldn’t have been to stop them after they went berzerk, it would have been to establish a deterring presence so it never reached that point. Having managed a private security company for a time in the 1990s, I can tell you all manner of problems involving large groups can be prevented with the presence of a few off-duty police officers and/or a good event security staff.
As far as Wal-Mart’s responsibility, I think we’ll have to agree to disagree. I do see your point about the crowd - it was they who ripped the door off, and it was people in that same crowd that trampled the employee to death. And there were obviously other Wal-Mart stores that held their Black Friday today without serious incident.
Still, I feel Wal-Mart dropped the ball by not having a better plan in place to deal with the overflow crowds. Clearly they not only expected, but hoped for, record numbers of customers to turn out in response to their aggressive ad campaign and pricing. Not having extra security and a plan for keeping things under control seems penny-wise and pound-foolish to me.
But as I said, we can agree to disagree on this point.
If they can't handle it, then they shouldn't have these special sales which attract hundreds of people and just open at regular times.
otherwise, they're just playing Russian Roulette store by store.
>>If they can’t handle it, then they shouldn’t have these special sales which attract hundreds of people and just open at regular times.<<
At this store?
Then yes, they are certainly responsible.
If this situation had gone on without a hitch for many years in many stores with the security they hired, then not so much.
It is a bit late for me to practice being Jesus. I’m not - therefore I don’t have eternity and therefore I don’t suffer fools willingly.
WalMart is a national chain. Policy that is acceptable for the vast majority of America need not be changed because some ‘hoods are full of hoods.
In the final analysis, the stampeding animals (and that Is what they acted like) are the guilty parties.
We do live, at least until January, in a Republic where we are responsible for our actions. Those who insist on acting like animals should be treated like the beasts they model themselves on.
To put put in possibly politically incorrect, but accurate terms, beastly is as beastly does.
There was an earlier thread which was, IMHO, correctly pulled because it made much of “Obama supporters” having caused the stampede.
Political beliefs, color of ones skin, blah, blah, blabber, blabber - none of those labels can cover for the fact that the people in that crowd acted like beasts. Behavior, personal behavior - that is the core issue here.
I suspect that the root causes of that stampede trace back to the crowd having never been acculturated as members of the American Republic.
Being a “member of the ‘hood’” is a pitiful substitute for being a responsible American citizen.
So, once again you are implying that “lowlifes” shop, or as you state “gather” at Walmart.
As for your concern about “...persecution of Christians..” I can only assume that you are same. How can you label people that don’t have as much money as you as “lowlifes”? That’s not very Christian.
How can you say that people that play the Lotto are “lowlifes”?
Walmart shoppers have never read a book that wasn’t “illustrated” and they use the “f bomb as a noun, verb and adjective”?
Might I remind you that medical books are among the most highly illustrated of all. Are Doctors “lowlifes”? Scientists? Architects?
Oh, Jesus would have shopped at Walmart and taken the money he saved and spread it among the poor, or as you describe them, the “lowlifes”.
You better get off that high horse you’re riding or you’ll wear him out and be forced down to the level of us normal people.
I can’t help but think this could have been avoided if it was a Super Wal-Mart.
Super Wal-Mart is open all hours.
Here there was a big line, but they all were already in the store looking for what they wanted before the prices became effective at 5 a.m.
No need to rush the door to get in first etc.
A lot of the stuff was on sale online for the same price despite Wal-Mart saying it was “store only.”
My brother-in-law went out to get a really cheap blu-ray player for 129. He could have just gotten on the computer at 4 a.m., ordered it, and went back to bed.
I was looking for the $2 movies, but they were store only, so I considered it not worth it.
Sounds like the purchase was very apropos. A brat doll for a big brat.
The photos at the link you posted confirmed my suspicions.
Walmart: Giving new meaning to the term 'Black Friday'.
I believe I was clear about who I think are “lowlifes.”
I think you have some deep seated inferiority issues to become so upset about this subject. Shop where you want - nobody cares. I have met many people such as yourself who practice reverse snobbery. Everyone who has a little more than you, or dresses a little nicer, and so on is labeled with some derisive comment; even your statement that I’m a “YUPPY” was said with a mocking and insulting tone. You apparently are dealing with class envy in the worst way. Sorry you are struggling but your attitude is not going to get you anywhere.
Class envy, ha! I avoid even being near people like you that think their poo doesn't stink. It is you that labeled Walmart shoppers as undesirable lowlifes, not me. In fact, I'm heading out soon to the nearest Walmart and purchase something in your name, maybe a book without illustrations.
Have you ever heard of the “Running of the Brides” Look it up and then tell yourself that the “rich” are any different than the rest of us that may be very comfortable, but don't have to flaunt it and play “let's pretend” in order to impress your other uppity neighbors who are playing the same game.
Good day, I'm done with your pretentious uppity better than thou posts.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.