December 1, 2008
Black Friday Tragedy at Walmart
By Tom Ryan
While many early morning,
door-busting specials went off without a hitch on Black Friday, the death
of a Walmart temp worker in Long Island as a result of a stampeding rush
of shoppers raised concerns about the frenzy created by such promotions.
At the Valley Stream
Walmart, Jdimytai Damour of Jamaica, Queens, was killed when “out-of-control” shoppers
broke down the doors at a 5 a.m. sale. Other workers were trampled trying
to rescue the man, and customers shouted angrily and kept shopping when
store officials said they were closing because of the death, police and
witnesses told The Associated Press.
The incident began when
people who had gathered well before 5 a.m. in the rear of a 2,000-plus
line began pushing, causing the people in the front into the sliding doors,
which were eventually knocked off their hinges. At least four others, including
a woman who was eight months pregnant, were taken to hospitals for minor
injuries, and the store was closed for several hours before reopening.
“This crowd was
out of control,” said Nassau Police Det. Lt. Michael Fleming, told Newsday.
Walmart’s Black Friday
special offers include: Polaroid 42 inch LCD HDTV, $798;
Sony Cybershot Camera (7.2 MP), $79.87; Garmin Street Pilot c330 GPS, $128.88,
and a DVD of
“Rush Hour 2”, $2.
Prices were valid only from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m.
The tragedy turned into
a public relations nightmare for Wal-Mart, which defended its security
efforts. In a statement released to Newsday, Hank Mullany, president
of the Northeast division, said the chain hired additional security personnel,
added more employees, and erected barricades. “Despite all of our
precautions, this unfortunate event occurred,” Mr. Mullany said.
The tragedy provided
fodder for numerous columnists around the country to rant on mob control
as well as holiday shopping mania.
But the incident also
came as door-busters at scores of other stores apparently caused few disturbances
and stirred up excitement around the official start of the holiday shopping
season. The New York Times noted that while
“ugly shopping scenes, a few involving injuries, have become commonplace,”
the National Retail Federation said it had never heard of a worker being
killed on Black Friday.
Discussion Questions:
Are door-busting Black Friday promotions getting out of control? How
critical are they to the launch of the holiday shopping season? What
extra security precautions should be added for next year?
- Worker dies, patrons
injured in stampede at Wal-Mart – Newsday - Employee Trampled to Death – The Associated
Press/Securityinfowatch - Employee Trampled to Death – The New
York Times - Lessons from a Black Friday death
at Wal-Mart – The Kansas City Star - Wal-Mart Shoppers Are Trained To
Be “Savages” – Huffington Post
BrainTrust
Recent Discussions
Discussion Questions
Poll
I’ll have to say “sorry” to Susan and Tom as well, because I agree with Jeff (pretty much word for word); I believe the legal term for the concept is “attractive nuisance”: a person or (especially) a business has a legal and moral obligation not to create a situation that they know (or should know) might result in harmful action(s)…pointing a finger at the active harmer(s) and saying “it’s their fault!” is a defense allowable only to five year-olds.
The Human animal never fails to surprise me! We take good ideas (shopping incentives) and turn them into an advertised story that fires up the masses. This was bound to happen! Historically there is a small percentage of the population that has no concept other than self and you put them in a situation where they think only of self and aggressive behavior happens.
I believe it is incumbent upon retailers to have enough security to handle these crowds and to have a plan to reduce the hysteria. Why not give the first X number of people in line certificates which are good to purchase the item they came for and slow down the stampede? Many people would leave if they knew they were too late to get their item BEFORE the doors open.
On a similar note there was a shooting in California between shoppers whose nerves were rubbed raw, maybe due to a combination of lack of sleep and external stimuli!
This event is not out of the ordinary or new. What is surprising to me is the lack of planning on the part of Walmart.
As a teenager I worked in a store in which people came running down to the holiday trim section when the doors of the store opened and two women fought over a Christmas tree in the day after Christmas sale. The phenomenon is not new.
Several years ago I stood in a line outside a Target store before it opened at 5 a.m. Five minutes before the store opened, people started getting out of their warm cars and walking to the doors of the store. The people in the line around me were getting upset. Target security workers stopped the people from the parking lot and said they would not be allowed to enter the store until everyone standing in line was allowed in first. In addition, they only allowed about 25 or 30 people in the store at a time, waited a minute or so and then let the next group in the store.
This year the Walmart stores that are open for 24 hours had people line up in the store before the sale began. Having a whole group of shoppers line up and wait, having a group of shoppers be concerned that those lining up may be at a disadvantage compared to the people still milling around or the people from outside is going to create anxiety. Any little incident can become magnified and turn into a difficult or tragic situation very quickly. Where was the control? Where were the security guards? Where was the management of the line?
The situation has not changed. The number of people around may have increased. The need for crowd control and management is critical.
We have cultured shoppers to have so much distrust in the “normal” business of retail that while this is horrific, it is hardly surprising. Recently, our agency conducted a round of shopper research which revealed an obvious undercurrent of “fear of being had” by promotional pricing policies, most notably in the consumer electronics industry. I think it’s time for the industry to gather and discuss solutions for the lack of trust issues that cause people to feel so frantic about getting a deal.
Other stores have these same doorbusters and earlier openings without much incident. But if a store does this, they have to know their customer base and maintain strict crowd control. These kinds of openings should be part of their disaster planning books. Hopefully, they have one.
This should be a valuable lesson for retailers. If you’re going to do this, the first thing is to beef up security. This means working in partnership with local law enforcement. They are not your security force. But I’d bet they’re willing to partner with you at times like these to avoid incidents. Additionally, you can hire local police as security. In New York City they can even wear their uniform and carry weapons when they’re off duty and working for retailers.
I never really understood why stores have prices valid at only certain times of the day. Walmart is lucky this did not happen in other difficult urban war zones. Walmart continues to learn lessons about operating stores in challenged areas. What happened on Long Island is not much different than the looting that took place after Hurricane Katrina. With Walmart being the #1, and often the only significant retailer in the area, they need to have some higher levels of security.
The problem seems to be that there is no organization at the door. There is a mob that has been waiting for hours in some cases, and emotions are high and patience is non-existent. Perhaps having a line or two sets of lines may prevent this from getting so out of control. It is done at sporting events or concerts where the crowds are just as big and in most cases bigger. I have not heard of a sporting event or concert in recent history where this has happened. Maybe Walmart and other consumer electronic retailers need to be trained by security personnel from some of these other venues.
A crowd of 2000 customers is going to require more than a few extra associates and some barricades. I’m calling the police for crowd control at this point! Obviously there was not a strict security plan in place for this onslaught. I don’t know all the details but I suspect there were customers all over the place which always leads to confusion and chaos.
Our hearts go out to the associate that was killed. I hope the police can find answers and hold those responsible to task.
The answer to the question is simple: When getting a discount is more important than a human life, things are clearly out of control. What can Wal-Mart do? I’m not sure. The one thing it cannot do is change the human condition. Greed is clearly not good.
Everyone says it is the store’s fault for putting great stuff on sale and trying to get people to come in and shop early. Let’s put the blame where it belongs – on the people who behaved the way they did.
Yes it looks like, again, we have to have big brother come in and take care of us because we, as a group, refuse to take responsibility for our own action.
What has our society come to when for a saving of a $100 we become a herd of murderers?
I believe there is plenty of blame to go around, but more important – how does the retail community learn from this tragic event?
A few years ago Best Buy changed their Black Friday approach using well-defined lines and giving out bracelets for key products to keep from having the unsafe conditions, as Walmart did.
I also think these special low, low prices do more harm than good since more shoppers leave mad than happy. I agree with others that longer deals throughout the day is a better way to go.
I agree with Susan Rider; outrage should be directed at the consumers, not Wal-Mart. The shoppers need to take responsibility for their actions.
However, Wal-Mart needs to be proactive in describing how they will prevent this from happening in the future. Here we are on Monday and I have not seen much from Wal-Mart regarding changes to their crowd management policy. Is silence truly their best PR strategy?
Clearly there are things Wal-Mart could have done differently: handing out guaranteed purchase coupons before the store opens (Best Buy), better crowd control, only allowing shoppers in the store in waves of 25 (Target), etc. After all, “A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it.” Agent K, Men in Black
Sorry Susan and Tom, but Walmart deserves a fair bit of outrage. Blame the crowds, no doubt, but blame the retailers for creating this situation in the first place. It’s not just lack of planning, the atmosphere has been deliberately manipulated to create a sense of hysteria. I won’t say this was inevitable, but tramplings have become an annual Black Friday tradition, even if they haven’t resulted in death before. Meanwhile, the planning was poor as well. Apparently the police were called only when things started getting anxious, and then the police had to deploy to Best Buy and other retailers in the area with similar problems, leaving the Walmart vulnerable to this tragedy.
There is enough shame to go all the way around on this one.
So we should blame the customers? Seriously? Really? Yes. Not for the death, but for allowing retailers to believe this type of behavior is acceptable. Communities and local and state governments should take action. Once this all has become commonplace, it’s beyond control. Communities can no longer support or control the result as it was clear in this case.
First it was 7:00 AM, then it was 6:00 AM, then it was 5:00 AM, then it was 4:00 AM, and now its Thanksgiving Day itself. Next year it will likely be Wednesday the day before at mid-night. When does it become unacceptable by the consumer, the community and everyone?
There’s plenty of outrage to go around. Yet, next year we’ll be blogging about the next even more ridiculous move. We’ll accept it, the results will be worse even yet and the next day we’ll measure the increase or decrease in sales and not what we have become as an industry.
As retailers, and I mean all retailers, we should be taking a real look at what we value. It’s clear that it’s becoming questionable whether we even value life or not. Our communities should demand more…that is, if we don’t demand more of ourselves.
Walmart is responsible here. This is the simple side of the story. They are responsible for the safety and security of shoppers on their property, both in and around their stores. Walmart (and all retailers) need to take steps to prevent this from happening again. Crowd control for all stores on Black Friday should be mandatory. This is a valuable lesson that all retailers need to follow, and prepare for this every time they have a Black Friday Sale. The safety of the consumer when they are on a retailer’s property should be foremost in a retailer’s mind when planning or executing any store activity.
The tragic events in Valley Stream bring to mind something that I rarely hear anyone talking about: the physical and mental well-being of chain store employees. The people working on the sales floor of these stores are on the front line when customers are unhappy.
If advertised merchandise is not on the shelf, they are harassed. If there is not enough help in the store, they get yelled at. If the price on the register is not what it is on the label, they are blamed. And, none of it do they usually have any control over.
These employees work long and sometimes ridiculous hours (5 a.m.?) for very little money. Their jobs are stressful, physically demanding, and in most cases “dead end.” And now, their lives are in danger, too?
When you shop for gifts this month, take the time to recognize that the people working at the registers, checking receipts at the door, stocking the shelves, etc. are just like you and me. Trying to earn a living and retaining some dignity while doing it. Be nice. Smile. And be respectful.
No question the crowds were mindless and hysterical but equally, I think, no question stores incite this behavior and lead shoppers to believe they will be rewarded for their ridiculous efforts. Several of the suggestions here make a great deal of sense. And obviously many retailers know how to handle the crowds they invite and attract. Those who do not should take heed and improve their systems next time they decide to run promotions designed to get massive simultaneous footfall.
This is a very regrettable and deplorable incident that all hope will never be repeated. Apart from the appalling human tragedy and the need for crowd control, the incident does underscore retailers’ dependence on a Black Friday and December sales in general. The phrase in the past couple of years has gained considerably currency in our everyday language to the point that much of the media now uses it freely. Expectations have certainly been created. For supermarkets, December sales account for about 9% of total annual sales, and November-December taken together account for around 18% of sales. The average contribution of the other ten months is 8% each. Without the crowds, the annual numbers would be bleak indeed. October sales were up for food and beverage stores around 4.3%, right around the 3.5-4.5% estimate for food away from home inflation, so grocery retailers are just about keeping up. But the most recent Department of Commerce and Food Institute numbers do not yet account for the psychological damage done to consumers over the last month by economic news.
Granted, the outrage should be directed at the shoppers. Or, perhaps more importantly, the recognition of a broader societal problem that something, anything in a store could be worth standing on line for 10 hours just to be first.
But, the outrage must also go to the retailer. Certainly, it is a good sign that a retailer prepares for a high traffic shopping day with added associates. It makes sense and is good merchandising. Too many retailers in these tough times cut back on sales people just when they need more.
But, the fact that Wal-Mart knew they would need added security because of the items and the structure of the promotions they advertised should have been warning enough that the activity was too aggressive and would only lead to difficulties. Would a less aggressive price have actually been better for both the public and the retailer? Attracting hundreds, if not thousands of shoppers only to leave them with unsuccessful shopping trips sends a message that is not conducive to good merchandising or good citizenship.
Why are we blaming the retailer? What’s wrong with people that they would act this way? This is an unbelievable example of what happens when people have no code of ethics. For shoppers to get angry at Walmart for closing their store after an associate was killed, is an outrage. The outrage should be directed at the shoppers, not the retailer.
This is a depressing look in the mirror for all of us.
Try Googling “depression breadline riot” or any combination. Nothing of note turns up.
How far down have we spiraled that 75 years ago people in real need waited patiently for daily sustenance, while today, we kill each other to get a promoted product before the next guy. Pathetic.
While I’m normally the optimist’s optimist, not so today.
Let me be sure I understand the “strategy” here:
1) Ignore your ‘best’ customers (however your company defines ‘best’) that supported your store(s) all year.
2) Put out an offer that is generally based on one component, price, that is easily matched by competitors.
3) Make this low ball price effective for one day for a very short window of several hours, normally starting well before ordinary operating hours (even including extended holiday hours).
4) Have, indeed actively tout, limited availability of these key items.
5) Sit back and enjoy the ‘mosh pit’ that you’ve created inside your stores and call it ‘generating excitement’.
Sheesh !!!
By the way, has anyone done the reserach that shows whether this race to the bottom actually generates any sustainable competitive advantage to the retailers that practice it ?
The poor man, Jdimytai Damour, is dead. His family is suffering his loss. All over some crappy electronics and doorbusters.
Who is to blame? everyone!!!!
This is a sick commentary on both money retailers and their mob mentality customer base.
A black mark for consumerism and greed as a footnote in the history books, on another bleak and dark day, Black Friday.
This type of crowd behavior has been well-studied. The local store seems to be at fault for not monitoring and responding to the crowd size and mood and most importantly, for ignoring the potential for violence by not preparing appropriately for this occasion.
Sales and Pricing are a wonderful part of our American Retailing Scene. It should not take a hit for this tragedy. But–I for one, will carefully consider waiting in line for anything from now on, though–good deals or not.
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I’ll have to say “sorry” to Susan and Tom as well, because I agree with Jeff (pretty much word for word); I believe the legal term for the concept is “attractive nuisance”: a person or (especially) a business has a legal and moral obligation not to create a situation that they know (or should know) might result in harmful action(s)…pointing a finger at the active harmer(s) and saying “it’s their fault!” is a defense allowable only to five year-olds.
The Human animal never fails to surprise me! We take good ideas (shopping incentives) and turn them into an advertised story that fires up the masses. This was bound to happen! Historically there is a small percentage of the population that has no concept other than self and you put them in a situation where they think only of self and aggressive behavior happens.
I believe it is incumbent upon retailers to have enough security to handle these crowds and to have a plan to reduce the hysteria. Why not give the first X number of people in line certificates which are good to purchase the item they came for and slow down the stampede? Many people would leave if they knew they were too late to get their item BEFORE the doors open.
On a similar note there was a shooting in California between shoppers whose nerves were rubbed raw, maybe due to a combination of lack of sleep and external stimuli!
This event is not out of the ordinary or new. What is surprising to me is the lack of planning on the part of Walmart.
As a teenager I worked in a store in which people came running down to the holiday trim section when the doors of the store opened and two women fought over a Christmas tree in the day after Christmas sale. The phenomenon is not new.
Several years ago I stood in a line outside a Target store before it opened at 5 a.m. Five minutes before the store opened, people started getting out of their warm cars and walking to the doors of the store. The people in the line around me were getting upset. Target security workers stopped the people from the parking lot and said they would not be allowed to enter the store until everyone standing in line was allowed in first. In addition, they only allowed about 25 or 30 people in the store at a time, waited a minute or so and then let the next group in the store.
This year the Walmart stores that are open for 24 hours had people line up in the store before the sale began. Having a whole group of shoppers line up and wait, having a group of shoppers be concerned that those lining up may be at a disadvantage compared to the people still milling around or the people from outside is going to create anxiety. Any little incident can become magnified and turn into a difficult or tragic situation very quickly. Where was the control? Where were the security guards? Where was the management of the line?
The situation has not changed. The number of people around may have increased. The need for crowd control and management is critical.
We have cultured shoppers to have so much distrust in the “normal” business of retail that while this is horrific, it is hardly surprising. Recently, our agency conducted a round of shopper research which revealed an obvious undercurrent of “fear of being had” by promotional pricing policies, most notably in the consumer electronics industry. I think it’s time for the industry to gather and discuss solutions for the lack of trust issues that cause people to feel so frantic about getting a deal.
Other stores have these same doorbusters and earlier openings without much incident. But if a store does this, they have to know their customer base and maintain strict crowd control. These kinds of openings should be part of their disaster planning books. Hopefully, they have one.
This should be a valuable lesson for retailers. If you’re going to do this, the first thing is to beef up security. This means working in partnership with local law enforcement. They are not your security force. But I’d bet they’re willing to partner with you at times like these to avoid incidents. Additionally, you can hire local police as security. In New York City they can even wear their uniform and carry weapons when they’re off duty and working for retailers.
I never really understood why stores have prices valid at only certain times of the day. Walmart is lucky this did not happen in other difficult urban war zones. Walmart continues to learn lessons about operating stores in challenged areas. What happened on Long Island is not much different than the looting that took place after Hurricane Katrina. With Walmart being the #1, and often the only significant retailer in the area, they need to have some higher levels of security.
The problem seems to be that there is no organization at the door. There is a mob that has been waiting for hours in some cases, and emotions are high and patience is non-existent. Perhaps having a line or two sets of lines may prevent this from getting so out of control. It is done at sporting events or concerts where the crowds are just as big and in most cases bigger. I have not heard of a sporting event or concert in recent history where this has happened. Maybe Walmart and other consumer electronic retailers need to be trained by security personnel from some of these other venues.
A crowd of 2000 customers is going to require more than a few extra associates and some barricades. I’m calling the police for crowd control at this point! Obviously there was not a strict security plan in place for this onslaught. I don’t know all the details but I suspect there were customers all over the place which always leads to confusion and chaos.
Our hearts go out to the associate that was killed. I hope the police can find answers and hold those responsible to task.
The answer to the question is simple: When getting a discount is more important than a human life, things are clearly out of control. What can Wal-Mart do? I’m not sure. The one thing it cannot do is change the human condition. Greed is clearly not good.
Everyone says it is the store’s fault for putting great stuff on sale and trying to get people to come in and shop early. Let’s put the blame where it belongs – on the people who behaved the way they did.
Yes it looks like, again, we have to have big brother come in and take care of us because we, as a group, refuse to take responsibility for our own action.
What has our society come to when for a saving of a $100 we become a herd of murderers?
I believe there is plenty of blame to go around, but more important – how does the retail community learn from this tragic event?
A few years ago Best Buy changed their Black Friday approach using well-defined lines and giving out bracelets for key products to keep from having the unsafe conditions, as Walmart did.
I also think these special low, low prices do more harm than good since more shoppers leave mad than happy. I agree with others that longer deals throughout the day is a better way to go.
I agree with Susan Rider; outrage should be directed at the consumers, not Wal-Mart. The shoppers need to take responsibility for their actions.
However, Wal-Mart needs to be proactive in describing how they will prevent this from happening in the future. Here we are on Monday and I have not seen much from Wal-Mart regarding changes to their crowd management policy. Is silence truly their best PR strategy?
Clearly there are things Wal-Mart could have done differently: handing out guaranteed purchase coupons before the store opens (Best Buy), better crowd control, only allowing shoppers in the store in waves of 25 (Target), etc. After all, “A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it.” Agent K, Men in Black
Sorry Susan and Tom, but Walmart deserves a fair bit of outrage. Blame the crowds, no doubt, but blame the retailers for creating this situation in the first place. It’s not just lack of planning, the atmosphere has been deliberately manipulated to create a sense of hysteria. I won’t say this was inevitable, but tramplings have become an annual Black Friday tradition, even if they haven’t resulted in death before. Meanwhile, the planning was poor as well. Apparently the police were called only when things started getting anxious, and then the police had to deploy to Best Buy and other retailers in the area with similar problems, leaving the Walmart vulnerable to this tragedy.
There is enough shame to go all the way around on this one.
So we should blame the customers? Seriously? Really? Yes. Not for the death, but for allowing retailers to believe this type of behavior is acceptable. Communities and local and state governments should take action. Once this all has become commonplace, it’s beyond control. Communities can no longer support or control the result as it was clear in this case.
First it was 7:00 AM, then it was 6:00 AM, then it was 5:00 AM, then it was 4:00 AM, and now its Thanksgiving Day itself. Next year it will likely be Wednesday the day before at mid-night. When does it become unacceptable by the consumer, the community and everyone?
There’s plenty of outrage to go around. Yet, next year we’ll be blogging about the next even more ridiculous move. We’ll accept it, the results will be worse even yet and the next day we’ll measure the increase or decrease in sales and not what we have become as an industry.
As retailers, and I mean all retailers, we should be taking a real look at what we value. It’s clear that it’s becoming questionable whether we even value life or not. Our communities should demand more…that is, if we don’t demand more of ourselves.
Walmart is responsible here. This is the simple side of the story. They are responsible for the safety and security of shoppers on their property, both in and around their stores. Walmart (and all retailers) need to take steps to prevent this from happening again. Crowd control for all stores on Black Friday should be mandatory. This is a valuable lesson that all retailers need to follow, and prepare for this every time they have a Black Friday Sale. The safety of the consumer when they are on a retailer’s property should be foremost in a retailer’s mind when planning or executing any store activity.
The tragic events in Valley Stream bring to mind something that I rarely hear anyone talking about: the physical and mental well-being of chain store employees. The people working on the sales floor of these stores are on the front line when customers are unhappy.
If advertised merchandise is not on the shelf, they are harassed. If there is not enough help in the store, they get yelled at. If the price on the register is not what it is on the label, they are blamed. And, none of it do they usually have any control over.
These employees work long and sometimes ridiculous hours (5 a.m.?) for very little money. Their jobs are stressful, physically demanding, and in most cases “dead end.” And now, their lives are in danger, too?
When you shop for gifts this month, take the time to recognize that the people working at the registers, checking receipts at the door, stocking the shelves, etc. are just like you and me. Trying to earn a living and retaining some dignity while doing it. Be nice. Smile. And be respectful.
No question the crowds were mindless and hysterical but equally, I think, no question stores incite this behavior and lead shoppers to believe they will be rewarded for their ridiculous efforts. Several of the suggestions here make a great deal of sense. And obviously many retailers know how to handle the crowds they invite and attract. Those who do not should take heed and improve their systems next time they decide to run promotions designed to get massive simultaneous footfall.
This is a very regrettable and deplorable incident that all hope will never be repeated. Apart from the appalling human tragedy and the need for crowd control, the incident does underscore retailers’ dependence on a Black Friday and December sales in general. The phrase in the past couple of years has gained considerably currency in our everyday language to the point that much of the media now uses it freely. Expectations have certainly been created. For supermarkets, December sales account for about 9% of total annual sales, and November-December taken together account for around 18% of sales. The average contribution of the other ten months is 8% each. Without the crowds, the annual numbers would be bleak indeed. October sales were up for food and beverage stores around 4.3%, right around the 3.5-4.5% estimate for food away from home inflation, so grocery retailers are just about keeping up. But the most recent Department of Commerce and Food Institute numbers do not yet account for the psychological damage done to consumers over the last month by economic news.
Granted, the outrage should be directed at the shoppers. Or, perhaps more importantly, the recognition of a broader societal problem that something, anything in a store could be worth standing on line for 10 hours just to be first.
But, the outrage must also go to the retailer. Certainly, it is a good sign that a retailer prepares for a high traffic shopping day with added associates. It makes sense and is good merchandising. Too many retailers in these tough times cut back on sales people just when they need more.
But, the fact that Wal-Mart knew they would need added security because of the items and the structure of the promotions they advertised should have been warning enough that the activity was too aggressive and would only lead to difficulties. Would a less aggressive price have actually been better for both the public and the retailer? Attracting hundreds, if not thousands of shoppers only to leave them with unsuccessful shopping trips sends a message that is not conducive to good merchandising or good citizenship.
Why are we blaming the retailer? What’s wrong with people that they would act this way? This is an unbelievable example of what happens when people have no code of ethics. For shoppers to get angry at Walmart for closing their store after an associate was killed, is an outrage. The outrage should be directed at the shoppers, not the retailer.
This is a depressing look in the mirror for all of us.
Try Googling “depression breadline riot” or any combination. Nothing of note turns up.
How far down have we spiraled that 75 years ago people in real need waited patiently for daily sustenance, while today, we kill each other to get a promoted product before the next guy. Pathetic.
While I’m normally the optimist’s optimist, not so today.
Let me be sure I understand the “strategy” here:
1) Ignore your ‘best’ customers (however your company defines ‘best’) that supported your store(s) all year.
2) Put out an offer that is generally based on one component, price, that is easily matched by competitors.
3) Make this low ball price effective for one day for a very short window of several hours, normally starting well before ordinary operating hours (even including extended holiday hours).
4) Have, indeed actively tout, limited availability of these key items.
5) Sit back and enjoy the ‘mosh pit’ that you’ve created inside your stores and call it ‘generating excitement’.
Sheesh !!!
By the way, has anyone done the reserach that shows whether this race to the bottom actually generates any sustainable competitive advantage to the retailers that practice it ?
The poor man, Jdimytai Damour, is dead. His family is suffering his loss. All over some crappy electronics and doorbusters.
Who is to blame? everyone!!!!
This is a sick commentary on both money retailers and their mob mentality customer base.
A black mark for consumerism and greed as a footnote in the history books, on another bleak and dark day, Black Friday.
This type of crowd behavior has been well-studied. The local store seems to be at fault for not monitoring and responding to the crowd size and mood and most importantly, for ignoring the potential for violence by not preparing appropriately for this occasion.
Sales and Pricing are a wonderful part of our American Retailing Scene. It should not take a hit for this tragedy. But–I for one, will carefully consider waiting in line for anything from now on, though–good deals or not.