[joe.penn]

Insanity! Just some of the trickle down effects of the poor economy.

Shootings, pepper-spray attack mar Wal-Mart Black Friday sales - latimes.com

BTW, stopped in the local walmart to pick up some cereal this morning, many hours after the opening, and there will still full pallets upon pallets of black friday door buster deals...

[BigDave]

Please don't blame the poor economy for everything. Stupidity and greed can be found in ANY economy! Bargain hunters are crazy (yes, sit on line for 5 days to save $400 on a TV). At an $8 an hour rate, 50 hours of work would provide the same $ benefit.

[joe.penn]

At an $8 an hour rate, 50 hours of work would provide the same $ benefit.

Or, no work provides this:

Another shooting was reported at a parking lot next to a Wal-Mart in South Carolina, also a suspected robbery attempt. Officials told WMBF-TV they believe the robbery was tied to Black Friday.

Again, Just some of the trickle down effects of the poor economy - robberies do in fact escalate during economic woes...

[audiobomber]

I haven't heard of the police catching this psychowitch?

[BigDave]

Actually, I believe she turned herself in.

And yes, during bad economies robberies do increase. But not as much as the robbery that took place in a GOOD economy, by Bernie Maddoff. But of course he was trying to make the economy better (for at least him).

[séamuis]

I think its ridiculous to name the economy for stupid people doing stupid things, especially when you are referencing them doing these things to spend money. or save a few bucks and spend money. its almost an oxymoron. black friday as its known now, is solely an invention of the retail industry and they knowingly set up the ridiculous situation to happen. every year you hear people at wal-mart getting hurt or doing other idiotic things to save a few bucks. every year. I believe its far more truthful to blame idiocy and greed of the american people. this includes the companies and corporations as well, because as we all know they are 'people' too.

if the economy was as bad as some people still want to make it out to be, then people wouldn't be doing these kind of things. when people stop, and actually think about every dime spent, then ill believe the economy is that bad. I'm not saying it isn't screwed up, or that we don't have economic inequality issues, just that its foolish to blame 'the economy' for stupid peoples stupid actions. blaming the economy for this type of things is no less than excusing peoples stupidity and tossing the blame onto everyone else. thats just unacceptable in my book. I don't see 'bad economy' when people are trying to hurt and maim others to spend money on material things. I see stupid people, doing stupid things to spend money they clearly have, otherwise they wouldn't be worrying at all about that TV or that xbox, or whatever else. even more so, when you consider that people spent more this year on material crap, than they did last year. most retailers ended up with profits that exceeded all expectations. as its been said, 'off the charts' and 'through the roof'. no, sorry I'm not buying its a product of the bad economy when we are as a whole, still lining the pockets of the companies with our hard earned cash by the billions in just one day. the effects of the 'bad economy' are what lead to someone displaying such gross negligence and stupidity to buy an Xbox?

[magkelly]

She said she was very scared she was going to be trampled. There were people shoving and pressing trying to get to the items in question. She regrets using it but since people have been killed at Walmart in similar situations she says she felt it was justified. It wasn't about getting the electronics apparently. It was about people shoving her too close to them too fast. Think about what has happened at rock concerts. People have been trampled and killed a few times by massive crowds showing them forward and under. She says that was what was happening at the time. Several witnesses did say that there was a crowd surge and it's not like she grabbed a toy and ran to the register after she used it. She just ran for an exit like she was frightened out of her mind. That kind of thing is why I'd never go near Walmart on Black Friday. People getting shot, mugged? You shouldn't have to risk your life to go bargain shopping. This whole Black Friday thing, it's totally out of control.

[audiobomber]

I guess the other shoppers were lucky. If it was Texas, she would have had a gun and would be within her rights to shoot them in self defence.

If this were a crush of hungry people trying to buy food, then I could see blaming the economy. Mobbing a store for an xbox does not show a bad economy, it shows rudeness and greed. Some Canadian retailers, especially the big box stores had Black Friday events; mostly they were non-events. A Canadian TV channel filmed Canadians lining up politely and waiting their turn, and alternated with US video of the madness. I suspect that Black Friday in the US has become a day when rude people can let it all hang out. They behave badly because it's allowed and even expected. Hey, it's Black Friday, let's go apeshit crazy! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

[séamuis]

If this were a crush of hungry people trying to buy food, then I could see blaming the economy. Mobbing a store for an xbox does not show a bad economy, it shows rudeness and greed. Some Canadian retailers, especially the big box stores had Black Friday events; mostly they were non-events. A Canadian TV channel filmed Canadians lining up politely and waiting their turn, and alternated with US video of the madness. I suspect that Black Friday in the US has become a day when rude people can let it all hang out. They behave badly because it's allowed and even expected. Hey, it's Black Friday, let's go apeshit crazy! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

well said, regarding the economy. how anyone could rightfully blame the economy for something like this is just beyond me. also, the way people act, I think speaks to a loss of dignity, respect and moderation among many other things, both for the self and collectively as a nation. its just really disgusting to see. we as a nation have allowed ourselves to become a collective of people who care more about materialistic desires (and seem to be willing to go to great lengths, and display sheer madness in the process) and acquiring new things than we do about celebrating holidays or remembering what the holidays are supposed to stand for. I really do not like thanksgiving for many reasons, but this one is certainly at the top of the list with christmas close behind.

what you see happening in this country on days like these speaks volumes about the people of this country. volumes. its just too bad that its deplorable words being spoken. sometimes my heart hurts for the direction this nation is headed and what the future will hold, and sometimes, with things like this I just become flat out sick and disgusted with everyone. all I can seem to come up with is: what is wrong with people?

[joe.penn]

I think its ridiculous to name the economy for stupid people doing stupid things, especially when you are referencing them doing these things to spend money.

You must have missed the quoted in my one reply - the guy with the gun robbing the individual in the parking lot was not spending money, I guess the titled isn't/wasn't the greatest title to use.

This does bring up the question of "why", why being why do people actually wait in these lines - everyone knows that these stores only have a small handful of door busters to be sold and most of the door busters to be had can be had at the same price later in the holiday shopping season.

[séamuis]

You must have missed the quoted in my one reply - the guy with the gun robbing the individual in the parking lot was not spending money, I guess the titled isn't/wasn't the greatest title to use.

no, I didn't miss it. you however were referencing both the shooting and the pepper spraying from the article as both being effects of the economy. thus your comment:

Again, Just some of the trickle down effects of the poor economy - robberies do in fact escalate during economic woes...

yes they do indeed, and thats a pretty well known fact but that doesn't prove that what was reported in that news article was because of the poor economy. the evidence seems to pretty overwhelmingly point to just more ridiculous behavior due to the 'black friday' nonsense. even the police according to the article, believe the shooting was linked to 'black friday'. so, I feel the need to repeat my stance. you can't blame the economy for stupid peoples stupid decisions, and you can't justify such behavior by simply saying 'its just effects of the poor economy', especially when these things are happening due to people spending ridiculous amounts of money nationwide.

as for the 'why'? well you've got me. I haven't a clue, but I don't waste any of my time trying to figure it out either because I find that level of greed and materialism to be more disgusting than I can generally handle. I try not to see people in general (especially citizens of this nation) as being that pathetic and disgusting, and dwelling on the reality puts me in a bad mood. ill take the ignorant bliss instead, and pretend that we are actually better than that. even if I know better.

[reeftool]

This is one of the reasons I avoided the madness of "Black Friday" and went skiing. When I wandered through a couple of stores Saturday picking up some groceries, a lot of the good deals were still there. I find it far easier and less stressful to sit in front of my computer and point and click and have my stuff arrive a couple of days later.

An interesting side note. I was reading on one of the financial sites that a black cloud is looming over the record sales of this past weekend. A large percentage of people are holding back on most purchases until Black Friday so much of the shopping wasn't for Christmas presents. The new computer, appliance, furniture, etc., all bought at a good price but the stores had virtually no profit. Some may end up with a net loss. I took advantage myself. It would be crazy not to. The battery is charging on my new Cyber Monday K5.

[joe.penn]

Maybe it's just greed - even the Chinese are getting sick of our greed:

[BigDave]

And please do not think it is just a USA thing with greed. How about the BP CEO that goes to the yacht race while millions of barrels of oil are gushing into the Gulf, the London shoppers that crowded into Harrah's to get special deals, crowding the store so much no one could move (even the Security guards, the store was robbed by an organized band as a result), and many other examples that I just did not want to research. There are many examples of it, and can be part of our nature, if we let it!

[Ratmagiclady]

Maybe it's just greed - even the Chinese are getting sick of our greed:

I don't know if that counts as 'greed,' ..... Or a real sign, since there's an app for that.

'All you can eat' is never a good deal for me anyway, since 'all I can eat' isn't actually that much. Even before any MSG kicks in.



(Yah, actually, those aren't even real letters, never mind anyone actually posting signs in 70s stereotypical 'Chinese talk.' Some bigot photoshopped it. The letters are too even and regular for reality.)

(Notice how the letters go straight across the screen but the image's perspective is wider?)