Fisticuffs break out at Wal-Mart
We don’t particularly like Wal-Mart, but like many people, we’ve shopped there out of necessity a number of times depending on the circumstances. Years ago, we made the observation that one can only spend five minutes in a Wal-Mart before something weird happens.
That quotient was jacked up exponentially on Friday when people lost their minds over the low, low prices. Amazingly, both happened in California. Of special note was the fracas that broke out in the town of Upland, one of those towns east of Los Angeles you would probably only know if you dealt in industrial products (like the nearby town of Ontario). It all started in the wee early hours of the morning. Sometime after 2 a.m., people started fighting over merchandise and the cops were called.
About 300 people were in the store, which had remained open all night as a security precaution after a Wal-Mart worker on Long Island, N.Y., was trampled to death last year on Black Friday when a surging, impatient crowd rushed the doors after the store opened.
But in Upland, employees said, customers began tearing into merchandise that had been shrink-wrapped and were supposed to be opened at 5 a.m.
“This was without a doubt the worst I’ve ever seen it,” said one employee, who said she has worked a dozen Black Fridays.
“They wouldn’t let people line up,” she added. “They were belligerent. They just bombarded the store.”
It didn’t end there. When the customers were herded by police into the parking lot while the store temporarily close, they didn’t stop acting like a bunch of hooligans. There was yelling, hitting of the doors and some particularly inventive buyers tried to make their way in through the open lawn and garden area. It took until 6 a.m. for everything to finally get under control.
Down the road in Rancho Cucamonga, the cops were called when it was reported that jacked-up shoppers were fighting in the electronics section. C’mon. There are enough flat-screens and gaming consoles for everybody. It’s fucking Wal-Mart. They stockpile this shit.
