Deadly Black Friday: One at Wal-Mart, Two at Toys 'R' Us

Today's horrible tradgedys are a reminder of the what this world has come to. We need to pay attention and be vigilient to raising our children with love, compassion, and discipline. These acts are clearly a lack of all of these things. It was thousands of people that went through those doors at Wal Mart racing in to spend there money on those early bargains without any concern for their fellow brother. It was a young man that felt the need to have a gun on him when shopping in a Toy Store, right here in my very back-yard. This is Everyone's back-yard, neighbor, relative, child. We have raised a bunch of wild animals, now we will pay dearly unless we decide to begin caring again. Perhaps for the next year, we need to re-name Black Friday to put it on a positive note, "Love Your Fellow-Shopper Friday!". And we should do the same for anything that we normally name negatively.

I would have to say that I totally agree with Goodies comments on the tragedies of peoples actions today. On another somewhat unrelated or maybe related topic, I work at a shopping mall. I work for a very well known and loved fast food establishment. Ok so i'm alittle tired seeing that I had to work from 4am unitl they told me to leave....but anyways back to what I was saying. You would hope that with the worlds current crisis in all its facets that people would have opened there eyes but it seems that's not true. It doesn't take rocket science to figure when you have a line wrapped around the restaurant there is going to be a wait for there food. It's a fact a life but as americans were the spoiled brats of the world getting many things now and very fast, often not understanding how much hard work goes into it. Sorry for rambling but back to my point I watched in shock when people were cutting inline and when they were called out had the audasity to get rude for being caught. But more importantly let me get to what else had happened today. I was helping a young girl who works when school is out, to help her family pay some of the bills. A lady customer who waited only for 10 minutes (And yes she did due to the fact we have on screen timers for our orders) exploded on this young girl, saying that she had waited for over 20 minutes and this was ridiculous. With the poor girl in tears, I took over and maybe I shouldn't have handled it this way but I hope the the message reaches those who read this. I looked at the lady and said "Are you serious?" Of course at this point she started in on me about the wait and that this was suposed to fast food not slow food. I very calmly looked in her in the eyes and said again "Are you serious?" She said what do you mean are you serious, I said Maam people are dying In Iraq, the stock market and unemployment rate is going to heck in a hand basket and your sitting here crying about waiting for your food? Then I said look around you were busting our humps here trying to serve you. At this point she was godsmacked and didn't know what to say. I concluded with It's not my intention to be rude but have you ever worked a day at a fast food restaurant? She looked away and said no I haven't and I'm sorry. I suppose what schocked me the most is was what she did next. She apologized to the young girl and told everyone she was very sorry for acting like a spoiled child. She leaned forward and whispered in my ear, your right sir there are more important things to worry about in this world than my food taking a long time. In closing I hope I didn't bore anyone but I feel like maybe this messaage will open more eyes to the evils of this world and with some calm kindess maybe we can alter peoples preceptions about it's not all about them It's about al of us :)

Given the location of this Wal-mart and its clientel, I am not the least bit surprised. The police said they acted like "savages"...well...that's how savages act. Throw a steak in front of a pack of wolves and then act surprised at the results...how ignorant!

John Lennon said it best when he said "all we are saying is give peace a chance"
Give LIFE a chance ! and quit being so damn greedy ,no wonder our creator wants to destroy the earth eh ?? No,it is'nt rocket science at all but simply human decency ...and there are plenty of us that have forgotten how to say "please " and "thank you" "excuse me"
and "i'm sorry" and for that i am truly ashamed for being a human being who thinks that we could be more than we are GREEDY ,just take a look at what that GREED has made us into ,think about he evr spiraling price of cars and housing and one has to only wonder what is going on ,and in one word ...GREED! Shameful ,disgusting and so pitiful when we have it all really ,and some have so very little.

Last year, I got up early to go shopping at the local Fry's. I figured there might be a line, but it didn't occur to me that there would not be a legal parking spot within walking distance.

My wife and I did find a place to eat breakfast, after which we went home and back to bed.

This year, I didn't bother. This "Black Friday" crap is just way over the top. There just isn't ANYTHING out there worth standing in line for, much less getting trampled over.

I hope that I can avoid setting foot in any retail store (except the local grocery) until sometime in January. Actually, the really good sales are in February; I'll be out with my cash while the loonies that were trampling WalMart greeters to death are reeling in shock over their credit card bills.

As for criminal charges, why not charge every moron that barged in when the doors opened. Every one of them.

I really feel that this entire travesty on Black Friday at Walmart in NY says something about how we Americans are steeped in fear and a "lack" mentality. No doubt, the present state of the economy has added to this situation in ways that are both subtle and very overt. However, as a society, based on an attitude of "dog eat dog", when we operate this way, everyone suffers, not just the most unfortunate individual who was trampled to death. Can you imagine personally dying this way and what it might feel like to be informed that your beloved son, husband, brother, died because of the rampant greed that is prevalent in this society? Just for a moment, imagine that this was your beloved and this was your holiday surprise- a call or visit from the police telling you that your son, brother, etc., who had a full life ahead, was prematurely and callously trampled to death because we cannot see the need for generosity and patience. Not only are we steeped in a greed mentality, but we appear to be a "quick fix mentality" culture coupled with :" let's get everything we can now". This is one of the saddest stories that I have heard in recent times- why do we buy into the acquisition of possessions as an illusory source of happiness and ignore what will truly bring peace to our hearts; we all seek one thing as human beings- LOVE,CARE,COMPASSION and PERSONAL ATTENTION. These are the precious gifts that are beyond measure. Truly, have buying a multitude of "things" ever brought you what you really seek?
Let's try to cultivate an attitude of awareness beyond our own bubbles and know that our well being is not only contingent upon getting our own needs met, but is intricately and intimately linked with the well being of the planet.

This poor man's lost life must NOT be in vain.
Jdimytai Damour (ru o MAD - i at y m ID j) see it backwards, then stop acting backwards. We need to come together - NOW. We have every chance, NOW, in this country to move forward, both nationally and globally.
Those who post racist comments are no different from people stepping on people. The people who stepped on, pushed and shoved are not that much different from the CEOs and financial market people that have also crushed, lost and stolen people's retirements and savings, and indirectly has caused poor economic conditions. One group is in suits, the other in jeans - neither "intended" to hurt anyone. The trajedy is that an innocent man has been trampled to death by a frenzied crowd. This man's lost life must NOT be in vain. Jdimytai Damour should quickly become a symbol of America's need to get back to basics - RESPECT, DECENCY AND FAMILY. Our culture is one that likes to point fingers everywhere else, sue, be materialistic, deny racism exists, and wonder why black Americans have felt the tension. Jdimytai Damour must NOT die in vain, and his death must not create civil unrest...that would be a 2nd death. Maybe all those who have pushed, trampled, and shoved to get ahead in life, need to re-examine themselves...that probably includes all of us.

I agree with Goodie on the need for more compassion, but I'd like to remind Goodie that the name "Black Friday" is not negative. In fact, it is inherently positive, literally. It comes from the accounting terms "in the red" and "in the black" where red means negative profit and black means positive profit. The day got its name because it could historically turn a profit for the entire fiscal year of a store. People tend to think it connotes negativity because of the similarly named "Black Tuesday" or the fact that the color black in Western cultures traditionally signifies death, evil, darkness, et al. Completely opposite in other countries like Japan where black signifies good health and white signifies death (probably from the skin turning pale upon death). But to come back to my point, it isn't the name that is negative in the least. Things like this happen, and they shouldn't, and they are tragic, but you have to remember that the preservation of self-interest is one of the most basic survival instincts, and unfortunately tends to bring out the worst in people, when it pops up. So it was wrong, yes, but not entirely unbelievable. It is not something that can be fixed, because it is ingrained deeper than any life-lesson we could ever teach our children. We simply have to teach them how to cope with it and not let it get out of hand.

I cannot believe that people actually think that getting a bargain is more important than someone's life. This kind of behavior is disgusting and shows that in this day and age certain people have no empathy, feelings or concerns for anyone else but themselves. What kind of people trample over a man just to buy a television set or anything for that matter?
I have been to this Wal-Mart location and believe me, it's nothing to die for. You may get killed in the parking lot, though.
Stores opening at 4:00 a.m. on the days following Thanksgiving and Christmas are also to blame for this and any other tragedy that might happen due to greed and/or economic instability. Let's say a person is on their way to a sale at 3 or 4 in the morning and has a car accident and gets killed or kills someone else driving...probably due to being half awake...it's a possiblity that a store could be held responsible for this too. Luring customers out at an ung-dly hour is not fair (earlybird specials??) and baiting them with lower prices at the earlier hours is a terrible practice.
The worst thing I've heard about the trampling is that people didn't care and continued to shop so they would get the bargains promised to them by the store. What have we become?? Animals??
In my humble opinion, maybe every person who goes to these sales should review their values as human beings. Is it that important to have material things or is it more important that we act civilized?
My sincere condolences to Mr. Damour's family and friends. They lost a PERSON. A mother and father lost a son, maybe a wife lost her husband, maybe children lost their father, I'm unsure. What I do know is that Wal-Mart and the people who trampled this poor man have lost their minds.
Let's end the material madness at this tragic point and not allow a large corporation to dangle lower prices over our heads for their benefit. It's just sick that we are controlled by this need for a bargain and no one cared that a man died for it. What kind of bargain is that? Whomever stepped on or over him......you have to live with this awful event for as long as you live. I hope the guilt eats you alive...it beats getting stepped on to death.

This horrible event at Walmart today sickens me. The fact that an entire crowd of 2,000 people in the general public of the United States of America, not just an isolated disturbed individual or group, would behave like barbarians, at the expense of someone's life, to save a few dollars on a Christmas present, speaks volumes about the deterioration of our society's values and priorities and it's greed.

What happened today is devastating. That man's family has lost him because of greed. This says so much about our society and what we are becoming. In that same mob an 8 month pregnant woman was knocked to the floor and trampled so heavily that her baby did not survive. My heart breaks for the families of these victims. When authorities were evacuating the store just after the incident, customers became irate and were heard yelling that they had been in line all night...disgusting

Retail industry is going through the worst phase ever. The demand has slowed down considerably. People are postponing the purchases till the economy starts booming again. Not a good scenario from a economist perspective. Checkout http://www.bestinvestments4u.blogspot.com

Wal-mart is directly responsible for the action that they orchistrated for these sale days. What is imposed on the public from the minute they entered the parking lot is completely the responsibility of the corporation to provide the safest and most secure environment for the public. Co-managers were the first ones [placed]in line to capitilize on those sales. It is done every year at every store. It's a pool of in house purchases placed strategically for the pick up of employees. Kind of turns us all against eachother doesn't it, times like these, under circumstances like this. Greedy? Lets look at the whole perspective of this picture. Or can we anymore?

Whenever you have a croud like that, whether it is a concert of store you have set up a cattle effect. What is shocking is the reaction when they announce that a worker has been trampled and died and they are closing the store and people keep shopping and are angry. I wasn't even there and this story breaks my heart. This person was somebodys son, brother, father etc. When did we lose our humanity and compassion?

I feel very bad for this man and his family. I work for Walmart in Fl. and we keep our doors open 24hrs a day even the night before. What we do is wrap the merchandise up so no one can see what is on the pallet. It is still crazy but we don't have an overwhelming amount of people busting through the doors. We also have all Management and Security available. Hopefully more stores will do the same thing so no one else will get killed or hurt. I just want to say - Shame On The People Who Killed That Man & Stamped Over Him!

All of you Naive people.
Of course a bargain is more important than a persons life.
You are basing your opinions off of only your experiences. People die every time black friday comes around, and you just forget about it. The workers know the risk but they want the paycheck anyways. To the very unfortunate minority of workers that get trampled it was a risk they were willing to take. 1 in 1 million doesnt happen very often. But it does happen. and it happened all over that one guy.

Attention Wal-Mart shoppers. In your greed induced frenzy to save a few dollars you have just killed a human being. Merry Christmas.

My Sears Black Friday Story: I was so excited when I placed my order with Sears online for the Samsung washer and dryer on November 27th only to get an email yesterday the 28th in the afternoon that my order had been cancelled! I had looked at the great reviews of these two products and was so looking forward to replacing my 16 year old set of xxxxxx(brand name witheld which came from Sears 16 years ago). I just could not believe that I had received a confirmation of my order and was in the stores the morning of the 28th to get the cords for when mine when mine is delivered and seen others ordering theirs and knew that my order would be to my home in a few weeks. By 1:30pm on the 28th Sears had stopped taking orders at the stores and by 1:53pm I got the email that saddened me deeply that my order CANCELLED! How could that be when mine was placed long before the orders were taken at the store that of course are being fulfilled!! And I have the confirmation number and date the order was placed and was told by Sears that there is nothing they can do! I contacted both 800 numbers for the customer hotline and for the online order department but of course could not be helped. I also contacted a few of the stores and even went to one of the stores and was told they too could not do anything to help even the store manager on duty would only talk to the associate on the phone and would not come and speak with me. I will try to post a copy of my confirmed order and cancellation email for everyone to see. I know Samsung would be upset to know that one of their vendors is doing this to a customer that wanted their product so bad. Signed, Disappointed and Let Down Galloway, OH

The horrible incidents that happened on Black Friday at Wal-Mart in NY and the other incident that happened at the Toys-R-Us store is a shame and disgrace to the American people. Those greedy people need to be horse whipped. fIRST OF ALL, Wal-mart and other stores should know you cannot open a store to a herd of wild beasts, especially that time of A.M and call it a sale without them tearing the place down! I could not believe that our America has come to such greed with no thought for other people's life. We see the greed more and more every day in the public. Everyone is so easy to get riled anymore. Kids killing parents, parents killing kids, parents throwing their children away and the country seems to approve it. Ignorance has caused our country to sink into the gutter like gutter snipes. We think we are just about the smartest people in the world, but we need to wake up and smell the roses. The parents are so busy doing other things; and of course I won't say all of them, but you can believe there are oodles, who are too busy woking, and after work, they don"t go home to their children, because they are too busy out at the bars, or in bed with their best friends wife or husband, or whomever they have met recently, and wind up pregnant again and they have no time to tend or parent their children that they already have. Waiting for the courts to do it. So many of the women are out there having babies by "whoever it happens to be at the time and whatever turns them on .Then they brag about having sex with so many men. Well they need to be steralized and every show you try to watch on TV is so explicit with sex and nudity, we really have nothing anymore to watch but trash, and where these "so called writers" come up with all of this is beyond me. They need to lighten up on the sex and sordid material they show on TV anymore. I get sick of watching it and most everyone I know agrees. The world needs a good change in attitudes. They have taken all of the discipline out of everything and our children have grown up to be like wild animals. God, wouldn't a nice Bambi story be nice about now.? WAKE UP, AMERICA!

this display of behavior is uncalled for, there is nothing more valuble than ones life. these people have no respect for themselvs or anyone else. this is a terrible tragedy. just to get something that will be on sale again. please people wait in line and take your time, this does not have to be a life or death situation ban black friday. truly sorry that this happened