Talk about corporate greed!

[scrapquitler]

I don't know about corporate greed-that sounds to me more like adults behaving badly.

 

[Nina1]

Stores only offer things if people attend them..People are the ones being greedy, selfish and thoughtless during these things.

Um...yeah. Agreed.

To the OP...corporate greed? Really? No, that is people greed, pure and simple. I highly doubt any corporation forced any of those people to do and say the things they did. Ever hear of personal responsibility and being accountable for your own actions? Bottom line, if an adult chooses to go to a store and chooses to act badly, that is his/her own responsibility. Additionally, it is that person's own responsibility to know what he or she can afford to buy. Just as it is that person's responsibility to pay the bills that he or she incurs. Period. So tired of this ridiculous attack on capitalism and corporate America. Anyone out there ever get a job from a poor man? Just curious.

 

[MrsMork]

Um...yeah. Agreed.

To the OP...corporate greed? Really? No, that is people greed, pure and simple. I highly doubt any corporation forced any of those people to do and say the things they did. Ever hear of personal responsibility and being accountable for your own actions? Bottom line, if an adult chooses to go to a store and chooses to act badly, that is his/her own responsibility. Additionally, it is that person's own responsibility to know what he or she can afford to buy. Just as it is that person's responsibility to pay the bills that he or she incurs. Period. So tired of this ridiculous attack on capitalism and corporate America. Anyone out there ever get a job from a poor man? Just curious.

Totally agree!!

 

[Lewisc]

I'll have to agree with the OP. WalMart offers "doorbuster" specials. Limited quantities. Wal Mart likes the crowds those specials generate. Walmart doesn't have enough security to handle to inevitable mob scene which results. One WalMart customer used Mace in an attempt to secure merchandise. A few years ago a WalMart security guard (rent a cop) was trampled to death.

COSTCO has more then enough merchandise to meet demand but it's not priced so low as to attract mobs of customers, some of which are just buying to resell.

BEST BUY generally gives out numbered coupons at some point during the night.

A store can skip the "blockbuster" sales or have an orderly system for determining which customers get to purchase the items.

WalMart does neither. A deliberate free for all.

CORPORATE GREED or at least CORPORATE IRRESPONSIBILITY is the way Wal Mart operates. Market goods in a way which all but guarantees the exact situations we see every year. Not have the kind of (massive) security necessary.

Selling a $500 TV for $200. Almost the same thing as saying the first 20 customers who get to a specific part of the store get $300.

 

[libinatorsmom]

Its not corporate greed its individuals making poor choices all over a deal... not worth it to me we stayed home in the warmth of our house and put our Christmas tree up and enjoyed watching movies as a family... There are always sales!

 

[delmar411]

I'll have to agree with the OP. WalMart offers "doorbuster" specials. Limited quantities. Wal Mart likes the crowds those specials generate. Walmart doesn't have enough security to handle to inevitable mob scene which results. One WalMart customer used Mace in an attempt to secure merchandise. A few years ago a WalMart security guard (rent a cop) was trampled to death.

COSTCO has more then enough merchandise to meet demand but it's not priced so low as to attract mobs of customers, some of which are just buying to resell.

BEST BUY generally gives out numbered coupons at some point during the night.

A store can skip the "blockbuster" sales or have an orderly system for determining which customers get to purchase the items.

WalMart does neither. A deliberate free for all.

CORPORATE GREED or at least CORPORATE IRRESPONSIBILITY is the way Wal Mart operates. Market goods in a way which all but guarantees the exact situations we see every year. Not have the kind of (massive) security necessary.

Selling a $500 TV for $200. Almost the same thing as saying the first 20 customers who get to a specific part of the store get $300.

ALL stores do this. Including Costco. Costco had a limited number of doorbuster items. So did Target and Toys R Us and Sam's Club and Kmart and Best Buy and so on. And Walmart does do tickets just like every other store for the real doorbuster items. The rest of the stuff is just on pallets for people to wait by.

The only difference between Walmart and the rest is that Walmart is already open. That's it. People can already be in Walmart and know where they need to be and then they are sitting within sight and touch of the items they want for multiple hours. Something about watching your item and then thinking how it's *yours* makes people more aggressive IMO.

And honestly if people don't want to deal with Walmart than don't go. I find it funny that Walmart offered the same things as every other place, in the same small amounts (at very comparable prices) but somehow they are 'personally' to blame for the type of people that decide to shop their stores.

Blame the people who can't act properly. Not a corporation. Pushing off this personal responsibility onto something faceless is really a major part of the behavior problems of Americans.

 

[JB2K]

I'll have to agree with the OP. WalMart offers "doorbuster" specials. Limited quantities. Wal Mart likes the crowds those specials generate. Walmart doesn't have enough security to handle to inevitable mob scene which results. One WalMart customer used Mace in an attempt to secure merchandise. A few years ago a WalMart security guard (rent a cop) was trampled to death.

Time to set the record straight...

Discount stores, such as Walmart and Target, simply have limited floor space in which to hold pallets full of Black Friday specials. And in a tight economy, demand will always exceed supply.

As for the pepper spray (not mace) incident, it is now being reported that the sprayer could have been using it in self-defense. Whether or not that's the truth may be never known, as this case will most likely be thrown-out.

COSTCO has more then enough merchandise to meet demand but it's not priced so low as to attract mobs of customers, some of which are just buying to resell.

Not a fair argument, as Costco is a full-blown warehouse, which can handle way more merchandise that the typcial discount stores. Plus, unlike Walmart, Costco's core clientele are higher-income families. And, for the record, Costco does not offer "traditional" Black Friday specials -- instead, they give members a sheet of coupons that discounts merchandise they routinely carry.

BEST BUY generally gives out numbered coupons at some point during the night.

Yes, they do, as does AAFES (Military BX/PX) stores -- this, IMO, is a good system. But keep in mind, to get the coupons, one has to secure a good place in line, which in Best Buy's case means some people are camping-out in front of the store (in tents) as early as the Tuesday prior to Thanksgiving.

A store can skip the "blockbuster" sales or have an orderly system for determining which customers get to purchase the items.

WalMart does neither. A deliberate free for all.

Like I said, it's not so much the stores, as it is the customers -- Walmart wants to the be the first choice for shoppers of all incomes, and they'll do whatever it takes to secure that spot. And from the looks of things, Target is wanting bigger shares of that pie than they've had in the past, as they are rapidly expanding their fresh grocery departments around the USA.

CORPORATE GREED or at least CORPORATE IRRESPONSIBILITY is the way Wal Mart operates. Market goods in a way which all but guarantees the exact situations we see every year. Not have the kind of (massive) security necessary.

Now, you're just trying to get yourself noticed with the "all caps" thing -- it's not corporate greed -- it's the greed of the consumers -- whether they are trying to get a cheap deal on conmsumer goods, or if they want to resell the thing on eBay, or something...

As for security, I have three Target stores within an 8-mile radius of my home -- all three had local police departments posted by their front door to prevent "line cutters" from jumping-in. It worked better, this year than in previous years.

Selling a $500 TV for $200. Almost the same thing as saying the first 20 customers who get to a specific part of the store get $300.

Those, my friend, are called "loss leaders" -- they are intended to get the customer in the store, so they can spend a couple of hundred dollars on other things...

In today's climate, it's easy for folks like Lewisc to point the finger at corporations such as Walmart because they are -- well -- corporations. But, let's not forget that despite rough economic conditions, we also live in a world of "instant gratification", meaning that a lot people do not use their heads and will skip a mortgage or utility payment to buy something they may not need -- or, to take that trip to Disney World...

 

[MaleficentRN]

What the OP is saying that there has been a lot of talk lately about how greedy the corporations in America are, ie Occupy Wall Street. But look how people act when they can get towels for less than $2. Like animals. Are they going to donate them to charity? I think not.

 

[Lewisc]

ALL stores do this. Including Costco. Costco had a limited number of doorbuster items. So did Target and Toys R Us and Sam's Club and Kmart and Best Buy and so on. And Walmart does do tickets just like every other store for the real doorbuster items. The rest of the stuff is just on pallets for people to wait by.

COSTCO stocks enough of the "doorbuster" items to meet anticipated demand. It's not priced as low as the loss leaders in other stores but you can purchase many of the items through the weekend and I've never see them sell out of single item before Friday afternoon.

I don't know if you want to call it Corporate Greed or Corporate Irresponsibility. Wal Mart has these issues every year. Limit quantities far below demand but without the huge amount of security which is needed.

Does it really matter if the pepper spray (isn't Mace just a brand of pepper spray?) customer was using it as a shopping tool or for self defense? Either way Walmart created a situation where a customer say the need to use it, either as a shopping tool or for self defense.

I'm not sure why the taxpayer should be paying cops overtime to police the area around the stores. A store wants to offer a limited amount of loss leaders then they should have to assume the cost of providing adequate security.

 

[Ed J]

I'm not sure why the taxpayer should be paying cops overtime to police the area around the stores. A store wants to offer a limited amount of loss leaders then they should have to assume the cost of providing adequate security.

Do you know that as fact, or are you making that up to try to prove a point?

The retailer can hire LEO time for these events in my town, no tax payer money is spent during these privet endeavors.

If you the tax payer are paying for this nonsense where you live, you need to get involved with town finances and get it changed.

 

[Lewisc]

Do you know that as fact, or are you making that up to try to prove a point?

The retailer can hire LEO time for these events in my town, no tax payer money is spent during these privet endeavors.

If you the tax payer are paying for this nonsense where you live, you need to get involved with town finances and get it changed.

Neither. A poster suggested WalMart call the local police and ask them to enforce loitering laws and otherwise maintain order. My comment is, if done, that's not a reasonable use of tax dollars.

My point is it's greedy (I'd prefer the term irresponsible) for a store to offer those kinds of blockbuster deals without the substantial security necessary to maintain order.

 

[cdrn1]

[QUOTEcorporate greed]

SORRY MEANT TO BE IRONIC!

LOL yeah, how did everybody miss that!

 

[donalduck]

All of this madness is the cause of the retailers. They don't have to open up at 12am. If you have the lowest prices and have enough items and open up at there normal time this wouldn't be an issue. It's all the retailers being greedy.

 

[Lewisc]

The only difference between Walmart and the rest is that Walmart is already open. That's it. People can already be in Walmart and know where they need to be and then they are sitting within sight and touch of the items they want for multiple hours. Something about watching your item and then thinking how it's *yours* makes people more aggressive IMO.

In 2008 (Walmart in NY area) a few thousand waiting customers got tired of waiting, smashed through the sliding glass doors and trampled a security guard to death prior to the store opening.

This year it was a shopper with pepper spray. The system Walmart is using requires a lot more security then Walmart is providing.

 

[MrsMork]

I'll have to agree with the OP. WalMart offers "doorbuster" specials. Limited quantities. Wal Mart likes the crowds those specials generate. Walmart doesn't have enough security to handle to inevitable mob scene which results. One WalMart customer used Mace in an attempt to secure merchandise. A few years ago a WalMart security guard (rent a cop) was trampled to death.

COSTCO has more then enough merchandise to meet demand but it's not priced so low as to attract mobs of customers, some of which are just buying to resell.

BEST BUY generally gives out numbered coupons at some point during the night.

A store can skip the "blockbuster" sales or have an orderly system for determining which customers get to purchase the items.

WalMart does neither. A deliberate free for all.

CORPORATE GREED or at least CORPORATE IRRESPONSIBILITY is the way Wal Mart operates. Market goods in a way which all but guarantees the exact situations we see every year. Not have the kind of (massive) security necessary.

Selling a $500 TV for $200. Almost the same thing as saying the first 20 customers who get to a specific part of the store get $300.

It is obvious that you don't like Walmart. Target, KMart, Best Buy, etc, etc, etc have the same, same limited number of underpriced items. It is the customers that are misbehaving. The Walmarts in Missoula where I live and Kennnewick, WA where I was at Thanksgiving both were extremely orgainized, had maps showing where specific items would be and handed out the numbered coupons that you refer to as the way it should be done. Walmart haters will always hate Walmart no matter what they do....me I love Walmart and see it as the American Dream come true for Sam Walton.

 

[granmanh603]

I agree wholeheartedly ....people need to realize the greed is YOU!

 

[Lewisc]

What's obvious is either I didn't do a good job wording my posts, or you didn't take the time to read them fully.

My point is stores which offer a limited number of "doorbuster" items need to have adequate security and procedures.

A WalMart security guard was trampled to death in 2008. A WalMart customer used pepper spray this year. I don't read these kinds of stories about stores like Best Buy.

Maybe some WalMarts give out numbers but others allow a "free for all" as customers rush to the pallet where a limited number of TVs are being stocked. A map showing customers where they need to rush to. May work in Missouri but leads to near riots in other parks of the country.

I don't consider myself a "Walmart hater" but some of their actions are impossible to defend. Not all Walmarts are open 24/7. Walmart had people stocking the shelves at night, didn't want to spend the money paying supervisors to work the night shift and didn't want the employees stealing merchandise. The solution was to padlock all exits, including fire exits. Obviously they had to stop that practice when the local fire department was made aware of the practice.

It is obvious that you don't like Walmart. Target, KMart, Best Buy, etc, etc, etc have the same, same limited number of underpriced items. It is the customers that are misbehaving. The Walmarts in Missoula where I live and Kennnewick, WA where I was at Thanksgiving both were extremely orgainized, had maps showing where specific items would be and handed out the numbered coupons that you refer to as the way it should be done. Walmart haters will always hate Walmart no matter what they do....me I love Walmart and see it as the American Dream come true for Sam Walton.

 

[JB2K]

May work in Missouri but leads to near riots in other parks of the country.

Lewisc - Missoula is a town in the state of Montana, not Missouri...

 

[Lewisc]

Lewisc - Missoula is a town in the state of Montana, not Missouri...

Thanks for the correction. What works in a town in Montana obviously doesn't work in LA or NY. Many (most?) doorbusters aren't given to customers with a numbered coupon and the rush to the pallets leads to near riots. The fact that a customer saw the need to use Pepper Spray as a shopping tool (or for defensive purposes) says a lot.

 

[girli565]

My Walmart was very calm, they were organized, and had plenty of security and police present. My black friday experience with them was nice. I just wanted to put that out there because not every one had a bad experience.

I bought the $199 Xbox 360 & Kinnect bundle. Got there at 6:30pm, waited in line (I was number 28) and at 10pm the sale went live. I walked out of there by 11pm and was home by 11:15.