What Kind Of A Bargain Would It Take?

[Teresa]

I don't see Walmart as a hero ever, but I do not think that is the problem with what happened on Friday morning. I think it has more to do with raw naked greed, and the retail sector that feeds into that greed. Remember the physical wars between women over Cabbage Patch Dolls back in the 1980s? People were frenzied to get that particular toy for their little darlin' for Christmas and they didn't care how they got it! Now you can find the ruined remains of those same dolls at yard sales for 25 cents. This whole Black Friday thing is getting out of hand, you may get a few things that are priced under the usual price, but great deals? How do you set a price on your integrity? How would it feel to be in a group that trampled a person to death? What could that possibly have to do with the birth of Christ; The Lord Saviour? Just too sad. 

Bullseye!

[S-S]

I refuse to bash WalMart as well. I do quite a bit of my shopping there and I think I'm quite intelligent. I'm raising a family and groceries and other necessities just aren't cheap. I can get larger quantities there that will last quite a while. I still shop at Family Market, but when I can drive to a shopping center on $10 in gas and spend the same amount of money to take care of us for a month...I'm going to do it.

And I have to disagree, many of the items I purchased for Christmas...I will not find them at the prices I bought them for. Not in time for Christmas anyway. I did not "overbuy" for my child. He will never have any kind of expensive gaming system. His father and I are strongly against it. I love to shop, and who doesn't love a bargain? If you are going to sit here and tell me that you've never gotten excited because you bought something waay below retail price, I'd say you were full of it. I bought a digital camera that normally sells for $150 for $39.99. Is that crazy? No. That's a deal.

I did buy my son more gifts yesterday at Batson's. I only found 2 items that would appeal to him. So, you who are against Black Friday or WalMart...Tell me what I was suppose to do if this was my only resort. I'm not knocking our little store, I do quite a bit of shopping there. But, I truly want to know what I was suppose to do if I didn't get the deals I did on Friday. I probably wouldn't have had anything to put under my tree. And I'm sure as hell not going to ask anyone to help me like I see in the Eagle daily.

[pam]

Personally I blame the retailers.......you can't lock your doors and mob hundreds of people up like they're runnin the bulls at pamplona, tell em you have 5 or 10 of what they want for half or less and expect nobody to get hurt when you turn em loose!
It ain't like this is the first time this has ever happened...people get trampled every year, this year people are just a little more desperate and broke.
I don't do shoppin period unless I HAVE to and you couldn't melt my ass down and pour me into that black friday mess.
I also do a lot of what shoppin I do at wal-mart, not cause I want to but because it's what I can afford to

[Lookatmeknow!!]

Ok, I have done the Black Friday thing in the past.  I have resorted to buying online or in town.  Why??  I just can't stand to go to Walmart if I don't have to.  I spend money on stuff that I don't need.  As for over buying, I guess you could say that I used to be that way.  I think that I was because I wanted my children to have more than I had.  But honestly this year we just can't afford it and what am I teaching my children if they get every single item that they want.  Nothing!!  I feel that they need to understand that things don't come cheap.

As for the person that trampled the other, that is just crazy!  What on this earth is worth killing another person to buy.  I made up my mind that when I did start going to black friday sales, that nothing was important enough to treat others unkind!! Just plain CRAZY!!!

[Jane]

No matter what is said, it is still the responsibility of any store to have their employes trained on crowd control. This is not something new, the after Thanksgiving sales have been going on for a long time. Here in Topeka they were camped out in tents in front of the stores the day before. They showed people walking in to Best Buy in a slow and orderly way with the staff standing on both sides of the door in a line. So I would say they had  their crowd control  in order.

PS I am not bashing Wal mart, I am bashing how they took care of things. 
Army Mom

[greatguns]

You go girls! My money and I'll spend it when and where I want.

[dnalexander]

I really think we need a new section entitled ethics; this should go there.


Exactly what kind of a bargain at Walmart could turn several hundred people into murderers? That is the estimated number of people who stepped on the Walmart employee on Friday morning and trampled him to death. Other people were injured in the stampede including a pregnant woman. Other emplyees only escaped injury by jumping atop vending machines it was said. What a pall on the start of the season.   

We often forget to add up all the costs to determine what is a value. Sending all our money to China through Walmart. Cheaper but ineffective customer service sent over seas to India|Phillipines etc., wasting gas\energy, greater national debt\trade deficit. Many times we all are part of the trampling herd. Hopefully this can inspire us to do better and personally do our part to stop all these selfish acts. We all like cheaper prices but we need to look at all the costs,  short term and long term. The trampling is just a horrendous act of our selfishness. We can do better.

David

[Tobina+1]

I stayed home on Black Friday and put up my Christmas decorations, including my nativity scene... the reason for the season!  I appreciate a small, well-thought, personal gift more than any expensive item.
When I lived in KC, we did go out and do some shopping on black Friday, but only to JoAnn's to get craft items for holiday gifts.  It was more of a "fun" thing than a necessity.  I personally prefer Cyber Monday, anyway!

[BurntHills]

Nov 28th was my First time EVER to try the whole 5am Walmart or Black Friday Shopping experience, and I got there right at 5am.    At my age, I got game.        I found tho the Wmart carts were aready all used, everyone I thought was pretty calm in the front section and Christmas section of the store in Indp.  (I saw too many sleepy little kids and they were "in the way" for that type of shopping, tho. ) 
There were no more parking spaces so I'd had to jump the curb and park out by the north retention pond, and found it totally ringed by like-minded shoppers 20mins later ----when I went out with a single prize: a $9 pink  vacuum.    I went into town and back 30mins later and it was all pure lines waiting to check out, but everyone in there seemed pretty Okay "waiting", all in all.   ~~~~  I heard an angry guy had clocked a woman back in Electronics over something called an "X Box",  but not how old   they were.

All in all, I had my little Black Friday experience, it was... interesting.  And no need to try THAT one again.

[S-S]

I will continue to shop at large retail stores...mainly WalMart. Like greatguns said, it's my money and I'll spend it where I want.