Black Friday Tragedy

by Scott Feldman

It was not the kind of day after Thanksgiving that I expected. Retailers count on Black Friday to put them into the black for the year. So all the stores have big sales. That attracts big crowds. But the crowd at the Wal-Mart in Valley Stream got totally out of hand. Some 2,000 shoppers lined up in the early morning hours there to take advantage of huge bargains. But the doors didn't just open. They were broken down in the mad rush to hit the aisles. And a temporary employee was trampled to death in the stampede. Since then, there's been a lot of finger pointing. Fingers pointed at Wal-Mart for not having sufficient security on hand to deal with the crush. Fingers pointed at Nassau police for not sticking around to make sure everybody stayed safe. The police commissioner says he met with security officials from Green Acres Mall. And as Lawrence Mulvey told reporters at a news conference, "The message was clearly portrayed to all those parties that these kinds of events fall within the purview of their security ...and they need to plan, organize and police them properly. We clearly put it on their plate." Wal-Mart is defending its security measures. They say they put up barriers and hired additional security workers. But, to no one's surprise, lawsuits are already being filed. Against Wal-Mart. Against Nassau County. In the meantime, we've got an investigation by police. It really was a Black Friday on Long Island. One that never should have happened. Let's pray it never is repeated.   

Comments

[Sam Walton]

Forget all the finger pointing and multiple lawsuits which will do nothing but clog the court sysyem. There is only ONE guilty party -

Wal-Mart is absolutely to blame. They allowed a massive crowd to assemble that was clearly beyond the capacity of the doors to handle, and they created the circumstances that led to a riot-like environment (I predict the "blitz line starts here" sign hanging on the store wall will be used as evidence against them). They deliberately fueled a mob scene with predictable results, and they deserve to be punished for it. As do all stores that foster this type of environment. If you want to create a seething frenzy built around huge discounts on a very limited number of goods, you need to be prepared to handle the crowds that come out in response to it. If you're not prepared, you're responsible.

Anyone who blames the shoppers has never been trapped in a throng. There is NO WAY that any individual can stop when a crowd of hundreds is driving forward behind you. At that point, it's purely a matter of uncontrollable forces, not morality. That is why people get trampled at concerts, soccer games, and other mass events. As horrified as you may be, as much as you wish you could stop, you MUST keep moving.

WalMart should have controlled the crowd better, the worker should have protected himself better (ideally by refusing to put himself in such a situation), and the mob....well the mob is gone, replaced by hundreds of fat, SUV driving, soccer moms who would never hurt a fly.

Do you really think that a "Pardon me, but would you stop a moment? This gentleman seems to have fallen," would have stopped the whole crowd?

If you do, then you're an idiot