Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Knowing full and well that I may be admonished due to this post's not necessarily being on point as regards our usual topic -- vacuums.  I could not overlook its seriousness.

Black Friday has come  here and Jdimypai Damour, a 34-year-old  temporary worker at Wal-Mart in Valley Stream, NY,  was trampled to death by eager shoppers at about five o'clock this morning.  Per news articles that I've browsed, even as police officers attempted to perform CPR on Mr. Damour, customers continued to stream into the store, some not noticing, some not caring that they were obstructing his chances for help.

A woman who was eight months pregnant was also caught in the crush and is now under medical observation.

http://money.cnn.com/2008/11/28/news/economy/blackfriday_walmart/index.htm?section=money_latest

Some of our big box stores and department stores have been whipping prospective holiday shoppers into a frenzy all week with ads claiming miracle pricing on items of very limited quantity.

There will be an outcry that Wal-Mart should have better planned for this.  However, I can't quite say I'll agree.  It's thoughtless, greedy people who did this disgusting thing.

Venson

According to news accounts, two couples were in the check out line at Toys R Us.  The women started arguing, not over purchases/sales items.  It escalated into a fist fight with one woman's face getting bloodied.  Both men with the women drew guns and started shooting, leaving one man dead.  Police have not said definitively that it is gang member related, but have not ruled out the possibility.  Store staff and police said the incident was not related to sales items/advertised specials.

Carmine D. 

How fortunate we regular posters on this forum are. In spite of the state of the economy in general, we have the luxury of bantering about vacuum cleaners simply because it is a quirky interest we share.

Peace to all,

Trebor

Trebor wrote:
Hi Trebor,

The original intent of this particular thread was intended to report a horrific occurence at a Wal-Mart here in New York State in which a man, merely trying to make a living, was trampled to death by greedy customers.  People so greedy for a reduced price TV and an el-cheapo vacuum that they knocked down the entry doors of the store.

The store guard is dead and his name is not remembered and if any of those who finally got the cheap vacuum still have in another six months you can bet I'm going to be surprised.

If that is where the search for luxury leads we're really in bad shape.

Venson

To Wal*Mart's credit, the store in question has admitted guilt by letting the crowds stage and build to a fever pitch before opening the doors to all at the same time.  The condition caused a stampede effect with mob mentality. 

The Las Vegas W*M stores did not follow this practice, to their credit, by letting people into the stores before the opening but unable to make purchases until the hours of operation.  All was civil and ruly.

W*M's admission will no doubt result in its payout of monetary compensation.  Not that money regardless of the amount is ever enough to compensate for the loss of human life.

Carmine D.

I meant no disrespect to the man who was killed by the indiference and greed of his fellow human beings. 

People who would never do or allow some things as indiviuals can have rather tenuous holds on their humanity in a crowd.

We all think we would do differently in the same situation. I hope I would. I hope anyone would. I hope those present at that moment never forget it, and the reasons it happened.

Hi Trebor:

According to eye witness reports, while EMT were administering medical aid to the fallen employee, the mob trampled over them with complete disregard.  Can you imagine?  I shutter when I think what these homo sapiens did for the sake of saving a dollar or buying a thing.  A sin that cries out to God.  May God have mercy on them.

Carmine D.

Trebor wrote:
I learned about crowds when I came to New York years ago and went to Times Square one and only one time to celebrate New Year's Eve.  After the ball had been dropped I wanted to go west to get the subway home but the crowd was going east.  In that case I had to go with the flow as it were all the way around the block before I reached the place I wanted to get to.  As for the Wal-Mart, I have never felt  a need so desperate to acquire something  that I had to camp out at a store's front door at four or five o'clock in the morning to get it. But that's just me  In any event . . .

The wonderful thing about this forum, so far, has been even though the focus is on a singular subject there is a sense of social consciousness regarding what's going on in the surrounding world.  Beyond design and doo-dads offered, it is equally important to be aware of and to think about where the vacuum cleaner you choose comes from, who makes it  and who benefits by way of the dollars you spend for it.  There also appears to be a real want among most of us to do genuine good by our neighbors, even in the midst of our musings, by the lending of our diverse opinions and knowledge to help forge solutions for specific problems of those who ask.  Thus, whether yakking or just sitting back and learning, I am always extremely proud to take part in it.  So maybe the banter is not in vain.

Venson

Venson,

I concur with your statements. There does seem to be a social consciousness among the regulars here. And I agree with you about Black Friday. The only way I ever participated was as a retail worker, never as one of those crazed shoppers, flyer in hand, dancing in anticipation of saving money on some perceived 'need'.

Venson was kind enough to post the link for the story when it occurred.  Here is another from the NY daily news, in the event readers want to re-read..

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/11/28/2008-11-28_worker_dies_at_long_island_walmart_after.html

Carmine D.