Woman pepper sprays other Black Friday shoppers

This Black Friday "tradition" is really daft to me. Why is it necessarily for everyone to rush out to get presents starting at 10 pm on Thanksgiving? Anyway,a woman pepper sprayed other Black Friday shoppers over on-sale XBoxs

A woman trying to improve her chance to buy cheap electronics at a Walmart in a wealthy suburb spewed pepper spray on a crowd of shoppers and 20 people suffered minor injuries, police said Friday.

....

"Faces were red," shopper John Lopez told ABC News Radio. "This one guy was coming up to my wife going, `Call an ambulance! Call an ambulance!'"

...

"This was an unfortunate situation. We're glad everyone seems to be OK," Walmart said in a statement. "We're working with law enforcement to provide what information we have, such as surveillance video, to assist in their investigation."

The woman could face felony battery charges if she is found, (police Sgt) Valle said.

I don't think you need Black Friday for that sort of thing. Kind of unimportant point?

Maybe you sensibly don't have the Black Friday "tradition" in Scotland. It's the busiest and worst shopping day of the year and mobs and individuals get out of control and sometimes create dangerous situations.

Just for a quick example picked at random:

http://gothamist.com/2008/11/28/li_walmart_employee_killed_in_black.php

This morning, shoppers apparently broke down the doors of a Valley Stream Wal-Mart, and, in the process, trampled a Wal-Mart greeter to death around 5 a.m. .....

There are reports of Black Friday violence coming in from across the country. Maybe more people should have listened to OWS advice and stayed home

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2011/11/26/how_much_crazier_can_black_friday_get_1322350169/?page=full

As reports of shopping-related violence rolled in this week from Los Angeles to New York, experts say a volatile mix of desperate retailers and cutthroat marketing has hyped the traditional post-Thanksgiving sales to increasingly frenzied levels.

...

The pepper spraying maniac I mentioned in the opening post has turned herself in, but there was more violence. But....

In Kinston, N.C., a security guard also pepper-sprayed customers seeking electronics before the start of a midnight sale.

...

In New York, crowds reportedly looted a clothing store in Soho. At a Walmart near Phoenix, a man was bloodied while being subdued by police officer on suspicion of shoplifting a video game. There was a shooting outside a store in San Leandro, Calif., shots fired at a mall in Fayetteville, N.C. and a stabbing outside a store in Sacramento, N.Y.

"The difference this year is that instead of a nice sweater you need a bullet proof vest and goggles," said Betty Thomas, 52, who was shopping Saturday with her sisters and a niece at Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh, N.C.

The article goes on mention the risks of muggings as shoppers arrive and shop in the predawn hours."

There are so many hours now where people are shopping in the darkness that it provides cover for people who are going to try to steal or rob those who are out in numbers," Fox said.

Ed Fox is a marketing professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

In fact, robbery appeared to be the motive behind the shooting in San Leandro, about 15 miles east of San Francisco. Police said robbers shot a victim as he was walking to a car with his purchases around 1:45 a.m. on Friday.

They had to close part of a shopping mall in Orland Park, Illinois because the crowd was crushing and trampling people. This is one time I won't bother with a link because you can find stories like this all over the country.

Personally, I won't go near the big malls this weekend. There's absolutely nothing I have to have so much that it makes it worth the risk.

"But, what about that toy your child just has to have?" Well, what about it??? The child will play with the toy for maybe two hours on Christmas morning, then the toy will be either broken or ignored after that. For this, you risk your life and sanity on Black Friday. Re-think this one.

Besides, wait a week and you'll get the better sales.

It does seem to be a pastime you are more used to than here certainly. That ordinary people however can get pepper spray so easily is a concern especially Sanguinemoon as you illustrate the nature of how busy it is.

What a sad and sickening display of consumerist zombies. I'm pretty sure this is OWS according to the MSM or at least the Newscorp flavor.

Just noticed a news item on my mobile phone refering to the Black Friday rush stuff in the USA. So it does seem to be a ridiculous situation.

Less dangerous, but confirming the ridiculousness of the situation....



At least this crowd is orderly (no telling what happened once they actually went into the store, though...) But who in their right mind actually wants to get into that line to get in the department store? If one is last in that line, do you really expect to get that sale item, since the store strategy is to only have a few of the items on sale.

Originally posted by rjhowie:

Just noticed a news item on my mobile phone refering to the Black Friday rush stuff in the USA. So it does seem to be a ridiculous situation.

That's putting it mildly. Worse, it's an annual event.

The first I knew of it was the year the Cabbage Patch dolls came out. There was a supposed shortage of the things, people were crazy to get one, some of the scenes shown on the news made you doubt the sanity of your neighbors. Leading up to Christmas, if you had a Cabbage Patch doll that you were willing to sell you could have gotten anything you wanted-- and I mean ANYTHING-- in exchange for it. After Christmas, the bottom fell out of the Cabbage Patch market and you could hardly have given it away.

Christmas shoppers aren't exactly sane, if the news stories every year are any indication.

Originally posted by Sanguinemoon:

Less dangerous, but confirming the ridiculousness of the situation....



At least this crowd is orderly (no telling what happened once they actually went into the store, though...) But who in their right mind actually wants to get into that line to get in the department store? If one is last in that line, do you really expect to get that sale item, since the store strategy is to only have a few of the items on sale.

I wonder what terrorists must think when so many Americans choose to congregate at a place called "Target".

That's bad.

I wasn't even looking for this, if fact, I was just trying check the news for a few minutes before editing a story I'm working on. A woman in Florida lost control of her car due to exhaustion after working midnight sale at a Target in Florida, source and in Charleston, WV shoppers just stepped over a 61 year old man with a history of heart problems also in a Target as he was collapsing on the floor. source The local news team teams to be fair and asked other shoppers about it and the other shoppers indicated that they could see that he was getting help, but what about the shoppers that just walked by before the nurse and paramedic noticed the situation?

Heavens I didn't know about this phenomena. I have to agree it is absurd and the matter of being near the end means you are going to get less of a bragain. It's an oddity that people have to act like this.I often see the same thing when a train is approaching the end of a line or a plane landing and everyone jumps up like someone has pressed a stand up button. Then everyone gets in on the act. Most of the time they have to still wait and I leisurely get off. Another oddity??

Originally posted by rjhowie:

I often see the same thing when a train is approaching the end of a line or a plane landing and everyone jumps up like someone has pressed a stand up button. Then everyone gets in on the act. Most of the time they have to still wait and I leisurely get off. Another oddity??

I can see how the behavior is related to a degree. In both cases, it's easier just to wait and be calm. In the case of Christmas shopping, it's not like Wal-Mart and Target, etc won't have sales all through the holiday shopping season (and afterwards as the stores try to unload excess inventory.) But the sheep flock into the store baa'ing about the huge sale as if the only time...

Black Friday is about the most idiotic ritual this side of an orange order parade
At a walmart around here some idiot started a fight over $2 or so towels, got arrested ( it's not like there isn't a bunch of police cars parked right in front of the store every goddamn black friday ) - it turned out there was an arrest warrant out on him so they kept him. Sure, that's mild compared to pepper spray lady and such, but what kind of retarded dumbass do you have to be to start a fight in a place that's blindingly obviously full of cops while being on the run from the cops?

And on comes the forum's smug, self-opiniated arrogance. All I did was agree with his fellow citizenry about the Black Friday thing which is not known over here. However he has to do his usual sneering anti stuff if I even do something completely innocent! If I was to compliment him on something I dare say one would get the usual sneering, drivelling retort that has nothing to do with an issue? Excuse me folks for sympathising with you on the pointless Black Friday matter it is not allowed by the forum dicatorship.

I see no evidence that you understood anything I wrote

Originally posted by Macallan:

I see no evidence that you understood anything I wrote

RJ understood. He's sensitive to anything that denigrates the Orange Order, though, and once you mentioned that in a less-than-stellar light the rest was a foregone conclusion.

Originally posted by mjmsprt40:

Originally posted by Macallan:

I see no evidence that you understood anything I wrote

RJ understood. He's sensitive to anything that denigrates the Orange Order, though, and once you mentioned that in a less-than-stellar light the rest was a foregone conclusion.

You're right. He saw 'orange order', stopped reading and posted his little rant. Maybe I should post it again, that line moved to the bottom just to see if the reaction will be different ( somehow I doubt it, he only seems to respond to key words )

At a walmart around here some idiot started a fight over $2 or so towels, got arrested ( it's not like there isn't a bunch of police cars parked right in front of the store every goddamn black friday ) - it turned out there was an arrest warrant out on him so they kept him. Sure, that's mild compared to pepper spray lady and such, but what kind of retarded dumbass do you have to be to start a fight in a place that's blindingly obviously full of cops while being on the run from the cops?
Black Friday is about the most idiotic ritual this side of an orange order parade

Two dollar towels? There was a mini-riot over two dollar waffle makers in Little Rock.



Notice at the end Funky McButtcrack (you'll see who I mean at about 0.35) runs off with 5 of them at the end. I wonder if that woman even realizes her pants are falling down

Originally posted by Macallan:

At a walmart around here some idiot started a fight over $2 or so towels, got arrested ( it's not like there isn't a bunch of police cars parked right in front of the store every goddamn black friday ) - it turned out there was an arrest warrant out on him so they kept him. Sure, that's mild compared to pepper spray lady and such, but what kind of retarded dumbass do you have to be to start a fight in a place that's blindingly obviously full of cops while being on the run from the cops?
Black Friday is about the most idiotic ritual this side of an orange order parade

+1

Oh yeah latch onto something as an excuse there mjsmsprt40 and Mcallan. I mentioned that the Mac-the -knife has a built in attitude to denegrate anything I say even when it is completely innocent. He didn't need to sidetrack but made it obvious that if I speak I will be speared at. When you look at the rough language he uses in his submissions here I would have thought mjsmsprt40 that would have rubbed on your delicate ears?If you cannot see that Chicagoan then you have fell back on wooliness yet again?! Where in this thread did I make an attack on the matter of Black Friday or the country due to it? Nowhere but you two should rehearse for the Muppet Show. Indeed when Sanguinemoon was helpful to clarify this phenomenal pastime I expressed not knowing about such.

I expect the usual sneering arrogance of Mac-the-knife but you really should get out more for fresh air mjsmsprt40 when my complete innocence is completely turned by a malevolent mindset. You don't even need to be attacking something here to be set upon.

Originally posted by rjhowie:

Where in this thread did I make an attack on the matter of Black Friday or the country due to it?

Where did anyone say you did? Looks like you still have no idea whatsoever what I actually wrote other than 'orange order' which got your knickers in one hell of a twist. Hint: nobody here tried to defend the collective insanity known as black friday.

Originally posted by rjhowie:

If you cannot see that, Chicagoan, then you have fell back on wooliness yet again?!

Commas, Rj, commas!

Here's a few for later use:
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Since you're commenting on punctuation, I believe "have fallen" is a more serious issue? Now take apart posts by me and other people. ;-)

Sorry, it works either way.

Once again that up himself, Mac-the-knife, thinks that because I have the nerve to oppose him that any reply is getting my knickers in a twist. How's that for conceit?! Along with the usual goading nothing changes. And I will repeat for him as he isn't as bright as he thinks. I made an innoculous comment so why did he find it a requirement to try and niggle? What a silly wee boy. Must have been a nightmare to bring up with all that self conceited arrogance and blatant intolerance. I do hope he movedaway to give them peace?!

Thanks for getting out of your slumbers there Jaybro. I tend to be a fast mover not just on women but keys. I wouldn't worry too much Frenzie as he has a lifetime of the educational world behind him and it is so hard to let go the habits of a lifetime!

Originally posted by rjhowie:

Once again that up himself, Mac-the-knife, thinks that because I have the nerve to oppose him that any reply is getting my knickers in a twist. How's that for conceit?! Along with the usual goading nothing changes. And I will repeat for him as he isn't as bright as he thinks. I made an innoculous comment so why did he find it a requirement to try and niggle? What a silly wee boy. Must have been a nightmare to bring up with all that self conceited arrogance and blatant intolerance. I do hope he movedaway to give them peace?!

Originally posted by Macallan:

Looks like you still have no idea whatsoever what I actually wrote

And you still don't.
What exactly do you think you're 'opposing'? Or, if that's too complicated, what do you think I've been arguing for or against? ( not that I think you can answer that question either )

You really are so full of yourself. You brought in something that had totally nothing to do with this thread whatsoever just because I had expressed an innocent comment about what it was all about - the Black Friday thing. There was no need for it but it sems that no matter how innocent a comment it is enough for your growing knee-jerking temper to respond. Everyone is entitled to a stance. Interesting that you have such a thing about me but do keep your queerness to yourself Mac-the-knife! I dare say a psycologist would have a field day with you morphing the innoculous into confrontational temperament situs. But as you have to pay for such services over there my commisserations. Thanks for the response always.

Originally posted by Macallan:

What exactly do you think you're 'opposing'? Or, if that's too complicated, what do you think I've been arguing for or against?

Originally posted by rjhowie:

You really are so full of yourself. You brought in something that had totally nothing to do with this thread whatsoever just because I had expressed an innocent comment about what it was all about - the Black Friday thing. There was no need for it but it sems that no matter how innocent a comment it is enough for your growing knee-jerking temper to respond. Everyone is entitled to a stance. Interesting that you have such a thing about me but do keep your queerness to yourself Mac-the-knife! I dare say a psycologist would have a field day with you morphing the innoculous into confrontational temperament situs. But as you have to pay for such services over there my commisserations. Thanks for the response always.

I'll take that as another 'no'.

Originally posted by Macallan:

( not that I think you can answer that question either )

Holy I'm a prophet

RJ, I really think Mac might have a point on this. I had to re-read what I wrote just to be sure, but there's no indication you're actually reading what you're replying to once you hit the "hot-button" words. I wonder who's knee is jerking harder.

Talk about a delayed silly season?

What don't you fathom like your pal the knife mjsmsprt40? Instead of simply putting in a routine thread answer he quite deliberately brought in an organisation I am a member of and has nothing to do with the thread at all and was directly aimed at me for absolutely nothing. One would have thought that even you would be able to see that this was quite deliberately aimed at me when I had done nothing confrontational in this thread. Why did he find a need for that? If you weren't in such a love-in with him maybe you could stand back and think on that one? Having done that he then accuses me of going heated and you are doing the same. Then you might realise that the knee-jerking was by him for no reason but his warped mind. And finally where in my queries about the Black Friday over there (which we don't know about) did I do anything controversial to have a deliberate pointless dig at me?

Macallan put in that dig about the Orange Order because he knew you would react. True, it has nothing to do with the Black Friday nonsense, but it would really surprise me if it ever happened that Mac tried a dig at the OO and you didn't react. It might surprise him, too-- then he'd have to try to find another "hot-button".

Back to the subject of the thread: Now that Black Friday is over, the crowds at the Wal-Mart seem to be a bit more peaceable. We'll see how long this continues, especially as Christmas approaches and the last-minute crowd appears.

Originally posted by mjmsprt40:

Back to the subject of the thread: Now that Black Friday is over, the crowds at the Wal-Mart seem to be a bit more peaceable. We'll see how long this continues, especially as Christmas approaches and the last-minute crowd appears.

Yeah, there will probably be another surge of crazy just before christmas day.
The silly season seems to start earlier and earlier every year - not too long ago we were joking that next year they're going to put christmas stuff out before Halloween - which is exactly what they did this year. In early October to be more specific. So I guess we'll see Easter eggs next week.
If they continue like that they should be back in December by 2020 or so ( with stuff for Christmas 2021 but nobody's going to notice )

Originally posted by Macallan:

If they continue like that they should be back in December by 2020 or so ( with stuff for Christmas 2021 but nobody's going to notice )

Oh God, it probably start on July 5 by then

I am not that daft mjsmsprt40 I don't live over the pond! Neither does he like to be contradicted in case you have unknown blinkering?! How nice to be able to get back on a thread for a change. Do folk over think it is anything to do with the bad economical downturn or is this just a long time running negative past-time? Innoculous I know but I keep my fingers crossed.

Originally posted by rjhowie:

Do folk over think it is anything to do with the bad economical downturn or is this just a long time running negative past-time?

Both. The Christmas shopping sense has been pushed forward for years. This year, there was the midnight insanity. But at the same time, due to the economy, people are quick to pounce on the sales and behave stupidly and in some cases violently (such as the pepper-spraying, etc) just to save a few dollars. (Maybe Ms. McButtcrack in the video above was flashing everyone on purpose to make everyone sick so she could help herself to the waffle makers. An interesting strategy.)

I read a couple years back that a "good" Black Friday doesn't necessarily indicate a strong shopping season. In fact, sometimes it foretells the opposite. We'll see, I guess.

Originally posted by Sanguinemoon:

Originally posted by Macallan:

If they continue like that they should be back in December by 2020 or so ( with stuff for Christmas 2021 but nobody's going to notice )

Oh God, it probably start on July 5 by then

At the current rate that would be in 2015 or so. Happy 4th of July, Santa!

Meh, not surprising. Given a proportion of insane people in a population, weird things will happen. Stuff out of the ordinary is only sociologically interesting if it becomes closer to ordinary.

There is something interesting here.
Pepper spray is a food product.
To use it as a weapon... is it bigotry? Does it assume that the recipient is weak when it comes to peppers?

Consider the proposition:
People who crowd together so much that they trample each other to death are like cows (or other herd-based herbivore). Cows (and, let's face it, most herbivores) are tasty. Peppers are tasty when added to meat. Adding a condiment to one's own species puts onesself into the category with the subject of the condiment. Therefore, the sprayers and sprayed (only in some situations such as this) descend to the level of cattle.

If that is all true, then all there is left to do is add parsley, chives, and a baked potato. Yes?

Hhmmm. A food product? Maybe it was to feed people then -what quaint pastimes over the pond?