All for a sale at Walmart?

[pam]

Amazing that people can be so caught up in a sale that it causes the death of a person.

Wal-Mart worker dies in rush; two killed at toy store - CNN.com

[Truegrits]

How terrible.

All for a sale at Walmart?

Exactly.

[Palerider]

they were all rushing in to buy that last Black and White TV before the change....it really is sad

[pam]

I mean seriously...what material thing is THAT important? Hey I'm all for a good deal...but people take it to the extreme.

[john doe]

Walmart claims the guy wasn't really an employee of theirs, he was an independent contractor. I wouldn't be surprised if Walmart doesn't do some 'it's so tragic' song and dance and walks away from the situation without even offering to help pay for funeral costs. The most it will cost Walmart is the lost sales during the time of the police investigation.

[StrawberryFields]

Walmart claims the guy wasn't really an employee of theirs, he was an independent contractor. I wouldn't be surprised if Walmart doesn't do some 'it's so tragic' song and dance and walks away from the situation without even offering to help pay for funeral costs. The most it will cost Walmart is the lost sales during the time of the police investigation.

I used to be an independent contractor for them in the jewelry department... WOW

[Palerider]

I used to be an independent contractor for them in the jewelry department... WOW

jewelry dept and now you make jewelry....

[TeancumsSword]

Walmart claims the guy wasn't really an employee of theirs, he was an independent contractor. I wouldn't be surprised if Walmart doesn't do some 'it's so tragic' song and dance and walks away from the situation without even offering to help pay for funeral costs. The most it will cost Walmart is the lost sales during the time of the police investigation.

They should obtain the video footage and indict as many people as they can identify on Aggravated Manslaughter 1, and make THEM pay for funeral expenses. Why should Wal-Mart bear the fiscal responsibility of some unruly mob of savages?

[pam]

They should obtain the video footage and indict as many people as they can identify on Aggravated Manslaughter 1, and make THEM pay for funeral expenses. Why should Wal-Mart bear the fiscal responsibility of some unruly mob of savages?

This is what it said in the article concerning that.

Asked about the possibility of criminal charges in the Wal-Mart death, Fleming said he would not rule it out but noted that charges would be "very difficult," as it would be "almost impossible" to identify people in the crowd from the video, and those in the front of the crowd were pushed by those behind them.

[Truegrits]

They should obtain the video footage and indict as many people as they can identify on Aggravated Manslaughter

But if the people in front (that actually knocked him down) were pushed by the great force of the crowd behind, they really cannot be blamed.

[AngelonaWing]

I played it safe and didn't fight the masses today! not worth my dollar.

[TeancumsSword]

But if the people in front (that actually knocked him down) were pushed by the great force of the crowd behind, they really cannot be blamed.

Blaming Wal-Mart does not make any sense either.

[pam]

It may be hard to put blame on anyone except a mass of about 2,000. However, it did happen in a Walmart Store. Whether to blame or not...it to me would be their moral responsibility and obligation to pay for funeral costs at least.

[Palerider]

next year...stand by the door with a 38 ounce bat.....:)

[john doe]

Crowd mentality. I don't get why people have this need to line up for a low price on generally inferior products. Who cares if you bought a swap-meet-grade dvd player for $20? It's junk anyway. Save up your money and buy something decent for a little bit more next week when the crowds are thinner.

[pam]

Or wait until a couple of days before Christmas. Retailers realize then how much inventory they still need to unload and lower prices big time then.

[a-train]

A guy in my old ward has a daughter who while an infant was dropped on her head by a photographer at Wal-Mart. His wife took the baby to the hospital and called her husband. He rushed to the family's side and within an hour or so of the incident the hospital was caring for a major skull fracture on the infant. Within about 6 hours from the time of the incident, several Wal-Mart lawyers arrived at the hospital and surveying the situation offered the father $2.8 Million.

Concerned that this quick settlement had to be a major low-ball, he declined it and consulted with attorneys. After months of dealing with the attorneys, a judge awarded him $3.3 million, which after attorney's fees left the family with $2.2 million ($600,000 less than the original settlement offered by Wal-Mart).

His daughter, was never given any surgery, but underwent close supervision. She is six years old today and the only permanent signs of damage are two seperate seizures which occured more than a year apart and which are not completely attributable to the incident.

The money was all invested in a portfolio that lost 75% of its value this year with the stock market decline. He is very nervous about the investments he made with it and the possible outcomes.

Anyways, Wal-Mart actually posed little fight and paid a vast amount more than the actual medical fees attached to the incident. If the investments made with the money turn out to be good in the end, his daughter will be a millionaire for her adult life.

If any long-term health issues should materialize, there will be money available for treatments (as long as it is not lost in stock declines).

Based on what this friend of mine told me, I doubt Wal-Mart will try to skirt their responsibility toward this man who died and his family. He told me that this group of lawyers are full time and work in shifts maintaining 24-hour service. They have a company jet to fly them immediately to locations where emergencies should arrive. They handle over a dozen cases per day. Most however, are indeed frivolous claims. Certainly this one is not, although it may become problematic to show negligence on the part of Wal-Mart.

My view is that the people who did the trampling are at fault. However, Wal-Mart's general liability policy may be the only source to which to look for any promise of damages awarded.

I hope this gives Wal-Mart and other retailers a wake-up call. While midnight madness events with special gifts to the first so-many guests do wonders for sales (I had my best black friday ever today because of such techniques), they need to be accompanied with extra order. If a select number of giveways or certain deals is sure to bring 100 times the people, a program such as a drawing may prevent crowd catastrophe.

-a-train

[BenRaines]

Irresponsible of a father to invest funds to care for a lifetime of care for an infant child in anything that could lose its value or a value of 75% during the recent market decline. Market is only down 45% in the worst case of S&P 500.

What was he thinking.

Ben Raines

[john doe]

Actually, I think you could blame Walmart. There are better ways to do these things. Exterior crowd control, with lines would help. Actual security people younger than 70 who could encourage people to behave would be good. Wrist tags for certain hot items, given out the week before, similar to what they do with concert tickets would help. There are orderly ways to control these things, but the stores don't want to take the extra steps to protect their employees and customers, and people will continue to get hurt or killed until they change. Walmart is only concerned about the money coming in, and as long as a relatively few people die, they'll keep doing things the same way.

[pam]

But then this thread is about Walmart and not about investments. hahaha Sorry Ben.

[Dr T]

Yeah, all those people broke down the door and killed him! It has to be Walmart's fault. Doesn't it?

[TeancumsSword]

Yeah, all those people broke down the door and killed him! It has to be Walmart's fault. Doesn't it?

Apparently everything that goes wrong these days is either George Bush's fault or Wal-Mart's fault. I'm sure some nutter out there has already found a way to blame GWB for this death too.

[Palerider]

Apparently everything that goes wrong these days is either George Bush's fault or Wal-Mart's fault. I'm sure some nutter out there has already found a way to blame GWB for this death too.

it was GB's fault....just like many of the things mentioned on that other thread.....

[john doe]

Well, duh!!!! If it wasn't for Bush personally causing the economy to tank, we wouldn't have people so excited to buy crappy products in droves. Good thing the Clinton Administration is coming back to clean up after him again. :estaloco::yuck:

[TeancumsSword]

Well, duh!!!! If it wasn't for Bush personally causing the economy to tank, we wouldn't have people so excited to buy crappy products in droves. Good thing the Clinton Administration is coming back to clean up after him again. :estaloco::yuck:

Yeah.