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