The AM Forum

Sick.
To be SO anxious to go shopping.....  ::)
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NEW YORK (AP) - Police say a Wal-Mart employee was knocked to the ground and later pronounced dead after opening the store to anxious shoppers on Long Island, New York.

A spokesman for Nassau County police says it was "utter chaos." One women said shoppers were acting like "savages." Other witnesses say even as the man lay on the ground, shoppers streamed into the store, stepping over him. Police say dozens of store employees who tried to help the man were also trampled by the crowd.

At least four other people were hurt, including a woman who is eight months pregnant. Police say she and her baby are said to be OK.

Surveillance video is being reviewed for possible criminal charges. But police say it could be hard to identify individual shoppers.

Sickening, isn't it. Some poor a--hole doing his job lost his life over greedy shoppers' impatience.

A stampede of sheep spending money they don't have,(credit), on useless junk they don't need.

It was a good day for China.

One news report stated "the doorway collapsed under pressure from the shoppers as he approached to let the shoppers in" . Gives "door buster" a new meaning.

Cattle. Time to reinvent Christmas.

The exact same thing that has ruined this country and put us into the crisis we're in....GREED! GREED! GREED! :'(

And of course, someone did a cellphone video of the police giving CPR and CBS aired it  ::)
http://www.youtube.com/v/7aUwmsi6Wc0

It was bound to happen.  If you are going to incite hundreds of stampedes every year eventually luck will run out.

They are all just looking for something cheaper that comes from places that use slave labour and substandard conditions.

They are doing their fellow Americans out of a living.

Pay more and support your neighbors and yourself.

yow! you could not have said it better! Greed is the devil's instrument; played like a bagpipes. Greed. May God have mercy on this nation for the sake of God-fearing citizens and I'm not ashamed to ask it. Rightly, the averaged sample no longer indicates any claim to mercy or prosperity.

I think it's Awesum....and only Reinforces My Faith....

Just wait till the N.A.U. takes effect....haaa haa....LOL...

N.A.U. - what's that?

    Possible Meanings                              Rank
National Association of Underwater        *****
Network Acceptable Use                     *****
Nnamdi Azikiwe University                      ****
National Agrarian University                      ****
National Aviation University                       ****
Network Addressable Units                   ***
Namibia Agricultural Union                        ***
Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff, AZ)   ***
National Agricultural Union                        ***
Network Adressable Unit                             ***
Norton Automatic Updater                      **
Network Analysis Unit                                 **
Namibia Agriculture Union                        **
NetWare Accelerated Upgrade                   **
New Age University                                 **
Narcotics Assistance Unit                        **
Network Address Unit                               **
North American Underdogs                      **
Narcotics Abatement Unit                       **
National Autonomous University                     *
Network Accessible Units                         *
Nisei Athletic Union                                    *
Nanjing Auditing University                          *
New Age Universe                                  *
National Approval Unit                                *
Norway Agricultural University                       *
National Association of Uruguaya              *
Neighbors Are Us                                   *

Couch potatoes fighting to get HDTVs and video games.  What a shame.

You guys have said it all.  What more could I add?

I know Don,
They are just getting warmed up for the day when food is presented to them in the same way.....

Right on point Frank!

We are only one step away now, the government sends out the plastic "credit cards" which take the stigma out of being on the public dole, soon we'll be hearing how it is demeaning to actually make them "go out" for the food.

I spent the Thanksgiving Holiday near Detroit visting the YL's family. They live outside the city, in a safe and rather tony suburb, but I asked her to show me downtown, what an eye opener. How the mighty have fallen, inner city Detroit looked like photos from Somalia, complete with roving gangs, bombed out buildings, and abandoned vehicles.

The sad thing about Wal-Mart is the very people who shop there are largely those who are losing their jobs to China.
They're literally eating and spending themselves out of a job, lifestyle, and soon enough, country. Although, perhaps we can take heart, for the Chi-Coms may not be too interested when they see what we've devolved into as a country. Much of the wealth sent to the Middle East or to China itself, a race of the under class breed not to work, and a national infrastructure in decay. They may well turn around and ask "Why bother, they've already defeated themselves."

Who is John Galt?

The U.S.A. has lost total sight for the true meaning of Christmas.
Apparently we haven't hit the bottom yet. If there was an economic contraction here, then why are we still busting down doors at Wally-World??? yea "live Better"

Fred

Frank said:
"They are just getting warmed up for the day when food is presented to them in the same way....."

---------------------


Two good points, OM's.

We're only about four months into this present down cycle. It's still "1929."  We'll just have to see what the headlines read 1-3 years from now in "1930-1933."


I had a conversation with my cousin from Florida. He just bought up his fifth real estate property near Palm Beach. $$.  He thinks this is just a "standard" recession.  I'm concerned about his agressiveness this early in the cycle. He may become one of the ones puking 'em out later.  Many people who are still financially "OK" have no idea of how serious this could get and have not changed their lifestyles at all... sigh.  Their 401K's are down 50% and don't want to look at it anymore - thinking it will recover as it always does. But let's hope for the best.

Here at home  - just this week a strong, major CT bank had it's foreign parent holding company (now bankrupt) taken over by the Scotish govt. We have some $ in that bank.  That's how it happens. The wild big gun banks take over the small, conservative banks and corrupt them. It even extends across country lines.

Now the biggest bank in America, Bank of America, is choking on it's $15 billion dollar takeover of Countrywide (billions in bad loans) and its "brilliant" $50 billion purchase of Merril Lynch. Yep, buy a brokerage firm in the biggest bear mkt in history. Needless to say, BOA's stock has dropped from the 50's touching a low of 10 last week.  Depositers want conservative bankers managing their money, not crazy speculators and takeover artists. Amazing it goes on, still.

My question is, who's gonna guaranty the guarantor? (US govt)

T

Us.  Every, 14 days after April Fools day.

Tom,
I was down the beach QTH this weekend and noticed most of the big bucks homes on the market >$1mil (on the beach) do not have for sale signs on them anymore. Many of these places have been on the market for 2 years.
This means the last flipper must have lost out. This little place across the street from me sold for $70K about 7 years ago and worked its way up to over $300K in 3 flips. It has just sold but I bet at a lower price. (I'd have a hard time paying $100 K for it).
I agree with your cousin if the right things happen in Jan. The real problem is a middle class job base. Without one we become third world quickly.  FDR created jobs by building roads and bridges. We sure could use a little repair in that dept. Question is are Americans ready to turn off the video game and get off their asses. 

For sure, Frank...

Whenever I see hundreds of athletes running up and down a football field or basketball court, I visualize the $billions of dollars and millions of hours that have been invested and wasted. Then there's the millions of people sitting on their asses watching. They all should all be out building bridges, roads, buildings, planting crops, working in healthcare, etc. Can you imagine what could be accomplished?

Of course, I'm being a little ridiculous, but we sure have a lot of waste in this country -  energy that could be funneled elsewhere.

2008: "The year everything changed."

Actually, I'm concerned for my cousin. He may join the house pukers later on.

T

I understand it is called Black Friday because that day's consumer spending binge is what's expected to finally bring retailers, who have been operating in the red all year long, into the black.

But what attracts so many shoppers to the stores that day is the sale prices: 50%, 65% or more off the regular price.

Now, if they are still able to make enough profit to slip into the black after selling at such ridiculously deep discounts, doesn't that mean that their consumer junk was incredibly overpriced to begin with?

Bruce,
All we need to do is take the government off the public dole and things will change. Free cradle to grave health care. Take a job for 4 years and retire rich. Put them all in the SS and paid health care like the rest of us and watch how fast things get fixed.
The royalty class welfare system. Then there is corp. welfare, we pay to send our jobs away.

Christmas was reinvented years ago, and the Wal-Mart thing is the result.  Time to restore Christmas.

But Don....
That's just the problem...
There are not many discounts on "Black Friday"!  
Haven't been for quite a while...

The retailers know that shoppers blindly EXPECT discount prices on that day....
And subsequently rake in the profits, because the average shopper doesn't even look at the prices to compare!

(The discounts don't happen for a couple weeks yet.)


An example that is year round...
We have the Hannaford food stores up here...used to be Shop 'n Save...
Used to be that if you  bought a big bag of something, it cost less per unit than a small package...right?
But NO, that is not the case anymore, a large package costs MORE per unit on at least 50% of the products.

They get much more profit because shoppers just EXPECT the cost to be lower, but they don't bother to take the time to look.....

Let's face it... there are too many people who just plain ain't smaht 'nough to know they is gettin' scrod.,

Just means the rest of us have to be extra careful where we step!

How many people even think Christmas is a religious holiday anymore?

Like so many other things, it has evolved FAR away from it's origion.

Doing my homework, every mall store that I visited were offering deep discounts on many of their "main" items. Of course, all the accessories were still selling at their "regular" prices. The main point of the deep discount is to draw you in, to get you to buy the item, and then make up profit margin on the accessory and ancillary type items. Nothing new; it's been going on for years, but with poor September and October sales results in many stores, the hook has to have nicer and prettier meat on it. I came home with a new 24 inch widescreen computer monitor for $429; lowest previous store prices were $499 to $549 and lowest internet pricing was $459 plus shipping. Of course, sales person did their job trying to sell me better cables, extended warranty, professional home setup, etc.

If you can afford it, this is also a good time to buy real estate but, besides price, location should be a prime consideration.

Since retailers are taxed on inventory, more discounts won't happen until between Xmas and the end of the year when retailers will want to lower their inventory as much as possible.

Yep, if you're smart, that's the way you run it. Move as much as you can out before 12/31.

Hey Bob,
Colchester has the best gas prices this weekend. Even the old rip off Sunoco was cheap. It must have reopened under a new manager.

Black Friday incidents have been happening for decades. This is nothing new.

I don't shop at Junk Mart at all,  the have been and still are the down fall of this country in the retail markets.
Much of there stuff is not of the great quality, and if you tried to return it, how long will you stand in line because there is not enough help, but they want more people to shop there. HMMMMM
Now this thing about BLACK FRIDAY, if alot of these stores are working in the red the rest of the year, I don't see how they can make a profit to survive that time frame I have to make money all year to be able to operate things.
Now things are bad when people think that the biggest and most costly item is a great Christmas present,  WRONG,  Some thing built by hand is great, also something that is needed for every day living is a good item, not something that they can just sit and watch these stupid ball games, just imagine what it used to be like before the greedy people had to have there ad's on TV every ten minutes to try to brain wash folks to buy there product.  
With stores opening up that time of day so that someone can get a item is total foolishness.  if the store opens at 1:00am or 8:00am it will still be there, even with the 7 hours later.  HMMMMM
What has this country come to?  
GREED GREED GREED.

Greed is going to be the death of things to come.
The story of greed is the bonuses that have to be paid to the CEO's os companies that don't do much for what They get.  
Lets bring back the old time christmas of simple gifts and family.  
enough on this.

Jim

All those hypersensitive whimps who've successfully had any mention of "Christmas" banned from their cities' holiday celebrations, their kids' schools, you name it. The claim is always that even the mention of the word "Christmas" offends them so deeply that it must be wiped from the face of the Earth so it doesn't offend them.

When the next revolution comes around, these idiots had better be the first ones against the wall.

Forget the baby formula,I need that 42" HDTV to watch the NFL.

No one is forcing you not to have an "old time Christmas of simple gifts and family". This is America. We each can  spend the holidays anyway we chose. Football games, shop till you drop, baking 50 pounds of Xmas cookies, spending Xmas eve on 75M AM, etc. are all fair game.

we do Christmas the old fashioned way. The emphasis is not on money (or credit) spent. We also keep it simple by drawing names, you need only goive the person who's name you get, a present of some kind. everyone turns in a wish list, but no one expects to get all of it, or even more than one thing. No list, well. that's not so bad either, because whatever it is is thoughtful. Ya get one thing.. I got a pound of radio solder a few years ago. very nice! (and I had an excuse to go to the radios to "try it out") Geez now I want some spiked egg nog.

I guess that depends.  People have been programmed by mass media advertizing, that Not to give extravagant gifts for Christmas means you are cheap, evil scroogy, what ever.  I have problems when I tell the XYL that I don't want anything for Christmas but to be with the family and have a good time together.
The use of controlled popular opinion is more effective than legislation in getting a group to do something you want them to do.  Takes longer to kick in, but will be a permanent part of society when it does.

popular opinion....as a child of the 60s that means bull crap to me.

Beware: six tricks to get you spending

Frequently seen too-good-to-be-true tactics (http://money.uk.msn.com/guides/christmasmoney/article.aspx?cp-documentid=11478666)

The Personal Property tax on business inventories is, in nearly all states, based on average inventory throughout the year, not simply year-end inventory values. You add together all the month-end inventory amounts, Jan - Dec, & compute an average on which you pay tax. 

Children of the 60's are the biggest followers of popular opinion.

I was born in '60 and could not care less about what is popular. Alot of it is ignorant. Lots of parrotting, few original thoughts. Like a bunch of flightless fowl gabbling in a pen. Oh, sorry, that would be the TV room in today's parlance. I don't believe I have turned on a TV in 2 weeks other than for 10 minutes to see the weather on a local channel as I dress for work. I hope it snows in Texas for Christmas.

Disagree, was there in the sixties and we were in control now the kids are taught what sport shoes to ear and what clothes and what music to listen to by corporate bodies that invent such things for profit.
They are also taught that if they dont they are crap and they respond in droves.

 

Yet another unfortunate casualty of Black Friday:

From The Intelligencer (Doylestown, PA) Tuesday, December 02, 2008, front page.

“Long workday ends with death

Police said the victim of a fatal crash likely fell asleep on his way home from working at Best Buy on Black Friday.

By Lindsay Redding, Staff Writer

Police believe a 25-year-old man killed in a car crash on Route 309 Friday evening fell asleep on his way home after his Black Friday shift at Best Buy in Montgomeryville, where he had started work at 3 a.m. that morning.  Ivan Talavera was driving home to Allentown when he crashed at 5:50 p.m. on Route 309 in Quakertown, police say.

“It’s safe to assume he probably fell asleep, but there’s no way for us to verify it at this point,” said Quakertown police Detective Donald Bender.

Police are still waiting for autopsy and toxicology reports to determine for certain what caused Talavera to cross into the lane of oncoming traffic, sideswipe a car driven by Daniel Neary, 41, of Sellersville and crash head-on into a car driven by Michael Neal, 43 of Hatfield.”

The article goes on.

It is children of the sixties (so called, since most were actually born in the 50s) that created and participate in Black Friday. They are, in large part, creators and followers of popular opinion. Simple demographics show this and to argue against it is to disengage from reality.

ah to be disengaged from reality

Funny, but I heard a University Prof telling a student that "we don't call them 'mentally ill' anymore, it's nicer to say that they are 'disconnected from reality'"   

This politically correct crap has got to stop.

back on topic, I hope that fella's family Sues Walmart So hard the CHINESE can feel it....

Amen to that.  Have you ever noticed, however, that the PC stuff is all in one direction?  Nobody cares if you offend the majority!

73,  Jack, W9GT

Intolerance will not be tolerated...
Or this timeless classic..."Celebrate Diversity" (as long as its is the right "kind" of diversity).

It's called the "Tyranny Of The Minority", where those in self identified minority groups are accorded "special rights".
Like so called "Hate Crime" laws, they only protect a certain class, the majority of citizens are not afforded their persecution protection.

I'd make a comment but the thought police would delete me.

You have clarified sir,.. There is a range of dates during which (admittedly most) others might have more readily gotten into being dedicated followers of fashion.. Those folks might be in their mid to late 50's now. The progeny of some of them chases the same sort of paradigm and Granddad spoils the grandspawn as rotten as the parents do.

Anyway I must recuse myself from inclusion in your grouping claim and I imagine other might also.

As far as political correctness, I'm always amused at the 'majority' who shame themselves and beat their breasts apologetically, treading on egshells, whenever a historical event is discussed. It's ridiculous. I never did any of those things nor did my known ancestors in recorded history (unless one wants to complain about how the Polish army terrorized Europe in the 1400's), so how could I ever have a penitent attitude about it or any other activities I didn't participate in? PC is slow death to freedom.

No need to recuse yourself. It was a comment based on the rather obvious demographics and history. No persons were singled out. The group is the group. If you have chosen not to be a member of that group, vice others who proudly claim membership merely because of their birth year, good for you. Buck the trend brother!

The family of the man who was trampled to death has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.

http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/local/article/WALMGAT03_20081203-124004/132386/

It's about time.  A father and son in the crowd who were "injured" already filed a 2 MILLION DOLLAR suit yesterday.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/12/02/walmart.trampling.suit/index.html

The only "trampling" I see here is trampling on Common Sense.

Common Sense ain't that common.

I'm sure they will also discontinue calling these "door buster" sales...