Wal-Mart worker dies, others hurt during Black Friday event on Long Island

[Tricia Lea]

Wal-Mart worker dies, others hurt during Black Friday event on Long Island 


By , Associated Press     Published on 11/28/2008 

NEW YORK (AP) _ A temporary Wal-Mart worker died after a throng of unruly shoppers broke down the doors and trampled him moments after the Long Island store opened early Friday for day-after-Thanksgiving bargain hunting, police said.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in Bentonville, Ark., called the incident a "tragic situation" and said the employee came from a temporary agency and was doing maintenance work at the store.

"The safety and security of our customers and associates is our top priority," said Wal-Mart representative Dan Fogleman. "Our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families at this difficult time. At this point, facts are still being assembled and we are working closely with the Nassau County police as they investigate what occurred."

The 34-year-old employee was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 6 a.m., Nassau County police said. The exact cause of death had not been determined, and the man's name was not released.

A 28-year-old woman who was eight months pregnant was taken to a hospital for observation, where she and the baby were both reported to be OK, said Sgt. Anthony Repalone, a Nassau County police spokesman. He said four or five other people suffered minor injuries.

Police said the crowd of shoppers knocked the man to the ground at 5:03 a.m., three minutes after the store opened at the suburban location about 20 miles east of Manhattan. It wasn't immediately clear how many people pushed their way in. A metal portion of the door was crumpled like an accordion.

The industry's largest retail group said the incident was rare.

"We are not aware of any other circumstances where a retail employee has died working on the day after Thanksgiving," said Ellen Davis, a spokeswoman at National Retail Federation.

Shoppers around the country line up early outside stores on the day after Thanksgiving in the annual bargain-hunting ritual known as Black Friday. It got that name because it has historically been the day when stores broke into profitability for the full year.

Many stores open early and stay open late. The Valley Stream Wal-Mart usually opens at 9 a.m.

Items on sale at the Wal-Mart store included a $798 Samsung 50-inch Plasma HDTV, a Bissel Compact Upright Vaccum for $28, a Samsung 10.2 megapixel digital camera for $69 and DVDs such as "The Incredible Hulk" for $9.

Nassau County police were at the scene investigating.

___

[Ashlee]

I feel sorry for the family, but I can't help but be relieved this didn't happen in my store.  As much as I disagree with the way WAL*MART treats its' associates, I love most of the people here.  I'm going to miss them a lot.

[Mary J.]

they had a riot at our walmart, and 17 people were arrested for fighting over a BARBIE JEEP, i was like omg you would go to jail over a barbie jeep???

[Sis]

I think they should stop that 5 am stuff and go back to the two day sale.  People are just greedy. I can't believe they didn't know they were stomping over a PERSON in their mad rush to get deals.

Walmart was saying their customers and workers come first, but many of us know better. Their bottom line is $$$

[Ashlee]

No, their customers come first.  Whatever the customer wants they get.  If you have a two year old ac that is rusted out and finally quit.  bring it in and we'll give you a new one. 

If you bought a computer somewhere and drop it and break it, bring it to walmart and we'll give you a new one. 

GRRRR!  The associates are treated like trash while the customers can literally walk all over them.

[Sis]

I remember bringing back that VCR that was a display machine, and they wouldn't take it back. I had to bring it 30 miles away to another store before anyone would take it back. It was a demonstrator that wasn't in the box. The price was on the machine with one of those big sticky tags. Had their name all over it. I had the receipt. They wouldn't take it back because it wasn't in a box. Well, it wasn't in a box when I bought it.

The time I went to ask why the Christmas lights in the box of 100 were cheaper than the box of 50, they blew me off and said "So buy the big one!" 

I have a bunch more stories from the people at WM. If they weren't so much cheaper, I wouldn't shop there because of the way I've been treated over the years.

[Ashlee]

Yeah, they can be rude to the customers.  But as bad as they are to the customers, they roll out the red carpet to them compared to how they treat the associates.

[Sis]

I've seen that too. I think Old Sam would roll  over in his grave if he knew what they were doing now.

[Chseeads]

People are CRAZY....sheesh.  Like a herd of wild animals.

[EricShane]

years ago my aunt got in a pretty bad fight at walmart on black friday... she broke her finger... it was all over a VCR - lol..

[Tricia Lea]

maybe it should be called black and blue Friday cause of all the fights lol

[Ashlee]

No, they need to just cut out all that nonsense.  It's stupid.  People need to be at home in bed with their families, not at walmart killing each other.

[Tricia Lea]

Another one I seen

Two People Dead In Toys "R" Us ShootingTwo Men Armed With Handguns Started Shooting At Each Other In Crowded Calif. Toy Store

(CBS/AP) Two people are dead in a Black Friday shooting at a crowded Toys "R" Us in Palm Desert, Calif.

City Councilman Jim Ferguson says police have told him that the victims were two men with handguns who shot each other.

The councilman says his question is: who takes a loaded gun into a toy store. And his answer is: "I doubt it was the casual holiday shopper." Authorities are still investigating but indicate the shooting may have been gang related.

One woman says she was in the store looking at coloring books with her two young boys when there was a commotion in the next aisle. She thought it was a scramble for a sale, then heard gunshots. She says her four-year-old grabbed her leg and said he didn't want to die.

The violence erupted on the traditional post-Thanksgiving start of the holiday shopping surge, but accounts of what occurred inside the store were fragmentary or second hand and it was not clear whether it involved any shopping frenzy.

The Palm Desert Police Department received calls of shots fired around 11:35 a.m., Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Dennis Gutierrez said. He said officers were still investigating what prompted the gunshots.

Immediately after the shooting, about 20 people rushed into the World Gym across the street from Toys "R" Us, the gym's assistant manager Glenn Splain told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

"They were crying, tearing and shaking," Splain said, adding that one woman came in cradling a baby.

"Some people got into a fight," said Splain, who spoke with some of the customers. "One of the guys here thought it was over a toy, but it got louder and louder and then there were gunshots."

Sarah Pacia of Cathedral City told The Desert Sun newspaper she was in the store with her two boys, ages 4 and 6, looking at coloring books when she heard a commotion in the next aisle. She thought it was people rushing to get a sale item. Then she heard three or four shots.

She said she froze, and store employees calmly escorted her out of the store.

"This is Toys "R" Us. There are kids shopping in there," Pacia said. Her son Jayden, 4, was clinging to her leg. He told her he didn't want to die, she said.

Toys "R" Us officials did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

Palm Desert is about 120 miles east of Los Angeles.

[EricShane]

i saw that on youtube, how terrible.

[Sis]

Stevebert and I were talking about this stuff today while walking. I think that the 5 am stuff is so stupid because people are tired. They're not used to being up that early, or staying up that late.  When you're tired, you're short-tempered and that's when things like this happens. They should just go back to two sales and regular store openings. Or an hour early. Let people get their rest and this stuff might be eliminated.

All my years I never heard of this stuff happening. Not until they started the 5 am stuff. They've only been doing that for around five years, so they should quit before more people get killed.

[Tricia Lea]

Some stores its no longer 5am. Here Kohls opened at 4am
Maybe its so some could hop stores t different opening times

[dnr1128]

I don't think the opening time has anything to do with it.  It is more rooted in our society being more tolerate of violence as a solution to problems, and materialism taking a firm hold in our culture.  Killing somebody over a toy isn't a result of getting up early.  That's an excuse. 

[upcchris]

*Shakes head* the one about the guy getting trampled after opening the store sound like something that'd happen in a cartoon for comic value rather than in real life. Is a few dollars off an item really worth people dying over? or going to jail over? I mean, c'mon, going to jail fo fighting over a Barbie Jeep? That's just pathetic... and embarassing....what are you in for? Oh fighting over a Barbie Jeep.
And what a horrible way to die, being trampled by frenzied WalMart shoppers.

Greed...*sigh* it's not worth it.

[EricShane]

Some stores its no longer 5am. Here Kohls opened at 4am
Maybe its so some could hop stores t different opening times

I'd say they might do that... although, I dont think it would solve the problem, the Malls here open at Midnight, and its just as bad, some of my own family has had to Park along the Interstate and hop the fence, to get to the mall during the midnight madness sale lol...

[Sis]

There's just too much madness!

[The Purple Fuzzy]

It's so sad.

[Dew-Ax-238]

Ashlee and Sis...  You are right WalMart does NOT care!  When I was able to work, I worked at our Wally world full time on Midnight... welll my asthma start to go haywire, one morning I was taken out of Wally world in and Sqaud, I was admitted to the hospital, one of the managers called me at the hospital and told me that I was being written up due to I ahd put aa more of awork load on my fellow employees! 

Needless to say I never went back the lung doc told me that I was too sick to go back to work and to aplly for disability and I am now on SSI/SSD

I was treated like dirt at the good OLE wally world that was back in 97 I heard it has gotten worse.. All the want is the all high mighty dollor