[Vision2020] Black Fridays at Walmart

[Paul Rumelhart]

So when we're next talking about the economy, the national debt, the 1%, 
and so on, let's also factor in wanton consumerism as a problem that 
needs looking at.

Paul

On 11/25/2011 08:41 AM, Tom Hansen wrote:
> Buy local, V-peeps!  It's a lot safer.
>
> Courtesy of NBC-Philadelphia at:
>
> http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/the-scene/shopping/134486528.html
> ------------------------------
>
>
>   Woman Pepper Sprays Black Friday Shoppers, 2 Shot Outside Walmarts
>
>
>     152 million people expected to hit the stores
>
> Black Friday is no joke.
>
> Twenty people were reportedly injured at a Los Angeles area Walmart 
> late Thursday when a woman unleashed pepper spray to keep other 
> bargain hunters at bay. Two others were shot outside Walmarts in the 
> Bay Area and South Carolina.
>
> The Los Angeles incident occurred at 10:20 p.m. when shoppers were let 
> in the store and coverings to the electronics the woman wanted were 
> removed, police told the Associated Press.
>
> A witness told NBC Los Angeles the woman, who had two children in tow, 
> became unhappy when people jostled in line while waiting to snag a new 
> Xbox 360.
>
> Fire department spokesman Shawn Lenske told the AP at least 10 of the 
> 20 injuries were due to "rapid crowd movement."
>
> According to NBCLA, a section of the store was cleared while hurt 
> customers were treated for the minor injuries. Police were looking for 
> the woman.
>
> Threre were sporadic reports of violence elsewhere across the country 
> on Black Friday, with many of the incidents taking place at or outside 
> of a Walmart.
>
> A man was shot outside a Walmart in San Leandro, Calif., NBC Bay Area 
> reported. Officials said the shooting stemmed from a fight in the 
> parking lot and the assailant was still at large.
>
> In a parking lot across the street from a Walmart in Myrtle Beach, 
> S.C., a woman was shot in the leg around 1 a.m. Cops said the shooting 
> appeared to have been a Black Friday related robbery attempt, WBTV 
> reported.
>
> Gunfire was also reported at a mall in Fayetteville, N.C., the AP 
> reported. There were no reports of injuries.
>
> In Kingston, N.C., police used pepper spray to break up a fight at a 
> Walmart, WBTV reported.
>
> A fight between two men at a Walmart jewelry counter in the Orlando 
> area landed one of them handcuffs, the AP reported.
>
> And two female shoppers were hospitalized and one man arrested when a 
> melee broke out in the electronics department of a Walmart in Rome, 
> N.Y., the Syracuse Post-Standard reported.
>
> Walmart was one of a handful of big chains to open hours earlier than 
> usual for this year’s Black Friday.
>
> Toys R Us kicked off the frenzy at 9:00 p.m, getting a jump on 
> Walmarts by an hour. Best Buy, Gap, Target, Macy’s and Kohl's started 
> up at midnight. Early reports showed strong demand from customers.
>
> The AP reported 2,000 people waited in line outside a Best Buy in St. 
> Petersburg, Fla., while 300 braved the elements at a Best Buy in New York.
>
> This year’s earlier-than-ever Black Friday touched a nerve with some 
> workers at Target and Best Buy, who protested the stores’ opening 
> hours. Occupy Wall Street-inspired protesters were also planning 
> demonstrations at major corporations around the country.
>
> Still, 152 million people were forecast to shop this Black Friday 
> weekend, up from 138 million last year, according to the National 
> Retail Foundation.
>
> Many stores began posting their deals online on Thanksgiving and sites 
> like Gizmodo and BFads.net and The BlackFriday.com were already 
> highlighting deals well before the sun went down.
>
> Black Friday counts for about one-third of annual sales for big 
> chains, according to Reuters. Analysts will look at the numbers from 
> Black Friday weekend as a forecasting tool, the retail industry’s 
> equivalent of Punxsutawney Phil.
>
> “If Thursday and Friday are not very good, chances are it will not 
> pick up going up to Christmas," Keith Jelinek, a director at 
> consulting firm AlixPartners's retail practice, told Reuters.
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Seeya round town, Moscow.
>
> Tom Hansen
> Moscow, Idaho
>
> "If not us, who?
> If not now, when?"
>
> - Unknown
>
>
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