Long Island worker killed in Black Friday stampede
It's 8:30 a.m. and most stores are open by now for the Black Friday shopping rush.
One Long Island Wal-Mart is closed however, after a crowd reportedly broke down the doors and trampled a 34-year-old worker to death. Read more here.
It's disgustingly sad and unnecessary.
Through years of writing stories about people who line up for Black Friday, Xbox 360s, Apple iPhones and other newly released gadgets, you learn that it's the experience, not the item that they're jazzed about. Yeah, they're excited about their new toy, but often it's young people thrilled to be camping out all night with like-minded people and coming home with entertaining stories to tell.
None of this explains what happened in Long Island, however. I imagine some kind of mob mentality got out of control. I didn't see any kind of pushing or aggressive behavior at Fresno stores this morning.
Whatever the reason, let's hope nothing like this ever happens again.
Comments:
Wow. How incredibly sad.
Posted by: adam at November 28, 2008 1:12 PM
Bethany, I think you nailed it when you point out that people are in it for the experience of waiting in line than the products themselves. And isn't that just kind of pathetic? It suggests that in today's hyper-consumerist society, a sense of community for many people comes in more and more disconnected ways. (At least when people camp out for concert tickets, say, there's a bond of shared interest that runs deeper than just trying to save a few bucks on an X box.) I noticed that the New York Times labeled the Wal-Mart incident the "Guernica" of shopping, and I have a feeling that it will be remembered long after this Thanksgiving. My question: Do you think Wal-Mart will get nailed for its lack of security/preparation, or do you think the notoriously litigious company will wiggle its way out of responsibility?
Posted by: Donald Munro at November 30, 2008 9:11 AM
Hmm, I'm staying away from that question, Mark.
It is just sad, that's all I can say. And is probably an interesting case study in mob mentality. A Long Island paper called it "another stain on our island akin to Joey Buttafuoco" or something like that.
Posted by: Bethany Clough at December 1, 2008 1:45 PM
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