A victim of Wal-Mart's greed

[Joanne98]

Petrino DiLeo explains how the retail giant's drive for profits set the stage for the tragedy in Long Island.

ONE WEEK ago today, Jdimytai Damour, a 34-year-old temporary employee at a Wal-Mart store in Long Island, died of asphyxiation after a crowd of 2,000 Black Friday shoppers busted through the store's doors and trampled him.

In the seven days since, the sensationalized stories in the mainstream media have largely placed the blame on the shoppers--with Damour as a tragic casualty of American consumers' insatiable need to buy the latest gadgets and widgets.

But this narrative distorts reality and leaves the rightful target--Wal-Mart itself--off the hook.

Continued>>>
http://socialistworker.org/2008/12/05/victim-of-wal-mart-greed

[Deja Q]

1. Wal-mart could have done rather more, you bet...

But it's still true that the people were trampling around like bulls.

Don't most people know by now there are so few items at the special price that they will just buy the more expensive model next to the empty pallet anyway?

[baldguy]

2. What story generates more excitement, interest - and free news publicity?

Thousands of people clamoring to get into a store to get the newest thing, causing a near riot?

Or

Thousands of people waiting in line - in an orderly manner - because of the thoughtful & responsible retailer prepared for them?

---------

Do you REALLY think that a multi-trillion dollar multi-national corporation like WalMart would intentionally be unprepared for the crush of customers that arrive at their stores for Black Friday year in & year out?

They COUNT on a stampede happening, they HOPE for it. And I don't think its out of the question to believe that they spend more time preparing for the deaths some of their customers instead of planning for their safety.

After all, money is more important than blood.

[nosillies]

3. Wal-Mart isn't the real demon here.

People are going ape-shit over their chance to slam Wal-Mart on this, but the reality is, it could have happened at a K-Mart, a Target, a Best Buy, etc.

It could have happened anywhere stupid, desperate, greedy people are gathered en masse. It has nothing to do with Wal-Mart specifically, but more to do with a retail mind set that needs to be rethought, and a serious lack of ethics and accountability in a large portion of the population.

It was a perfect storm for which many bear responsibility, not just Wal-Mart.

[Tutonic]

4. I partially disagree. WalMart has built a reputation on the "Hook"

strategy--offer a ridiculous price on one or two items and indicate on Thanksgiving Day that you have five per store. Now even in a town of 500, five big screen TVs would probably attract a crowd. So when you do this ploy in Long Island with 5,000 people in the parking lot--you know that they are going to tear the doors down at 5:00 a.m. The Walton Sisters already know that they erred and are trying desperately to make this family go away with a pocketbook full of shiny coins. This dead man's family needs to get a big gun attorney and become an honorary Walton.

[nosillies]

5. Maybe it's only the area I live in, but here, EVERY big box store pulls that exact same stunt,

not just Wal-Mart. Perhaps in other markets Wal-Mart is the only store that does that, and the others either don't offer sales or have hundreds of each item in stock.

And no matter which store does it, the bottom line is, they wouldn't do it if it didn't work. Dumbass consumers who are suckers for every marketing gimmick under the sun bear some, but most definitely not all, responsibility.

All I'm saying is that many parties are at fault, Wal-Mart included, but not in isolation.

[emilyg]

6. Same in my area. Just heard that

Herrods (?) in London does the same thing.

[madmom]

8. Be careful what you say here, I got ripped a new ass for saying the same thing the day it happened!

[emilyg]

7. What got me was the expressed

anger that they couldn't get their bargains after the man died. Disgusting.