Posted by Helen on: 11.29.2008 /
I was sad to read about the Walmart employee, Jdimytai Damour, who was trampled to death yesterday as an out-of-control crowd of shoppers rushed into the store at 5 a.m.
I doubt any of the shoppers went to Walmart thinking the bargain they sought was more important than a Walmart employee’s life. I certainly hope not. But it does seem like some of them at least didn’t think beyond their desire to get to an item before others got there. Also that people in the crowd seem to have incited each other to a level of impatience that contributed to the fatal outcome.
Crowds have scary amounts of power. They have emotional power because people incite each other and at the same time I think they feel diminished responsibility because ‘everyone else is doing it’. They have physical power if they all go the same way (and/or panic) because of the mass of bodies.
It seems like Walmart did underestimate the power of this particular crowd. Whatever extra staff or security they had on hand were overwhelmed by it.
Nothing can bring Jdimytai Damour back but hopefully lessons will be learned from this that will prevent anything similar from happening in future.
Comment by: David H
1Evidence is that Wal-Mart has learned little from similar incidents in its own past. A commenter at this blog recounts a similar experience at a Wal-Mart two years ago that was a direct result of how Wal-Mart organized the event.
Personally, I wouldn’t ever wish to be at such events. There is no gizmo or item I could imagine that would make me stand in line for hours to be part of a mad rush. Accounts of the event seem to indicate that the shoppers at that store were largely out of control. One story says some refused to leave the store when informed someone had died requiring a police investigation because they had been waiting in line since 9 p.m. the previous day.
However, that doesn’t necessarily absolve the store of culpability. The store claims it was working with Nassau County police for this event, but there were no police on the scene when it took place (CNN video link). It is not clear that there were any security people outside the store or even any other employees with the person assigned to open the doors.
The store management claims it did everything possible to prevent this situation. Perhaps that will be proven by the ongoing police investigation of the event.
Comment by: Elaine
2When I heard the news, I have to say I was stunned and sad - but maybe not surprised that something like this could happen. I sort of think the merchants’ desire is to stir up a frenzy of Christmas shopping.
It is also terribly tragic to think someone lost their life this way. I’ve been surprised by some of the comments attributed to the people from the crowd. I wonder if they really said such things?
Perhaps, the reason I am not too surprised that something like this could happens stems from remembering the Cincinnati The Who concert tragedy - Dec. 3, 1979.
I wonder what the Walmart employee was thinking as he looked at this crowd on the other side of the door waiting to race into the store. Maybe he was focused on other things and not paying attention. (I don’t mean to imply it was his fault for opening the door - just wondering what his awareness level was and if he had a nagging concern about opening the door. AND felt he wasn’t allowed to NOT open the door?)
These kinds of tragedies have raised my awareness when I am in any crowd. Do I need to remove myself from this place?
Comment by: Elaine
3After re-reading about the Who concert - I found another link that provided insight from a few people who were part of the crowd and how they experienced it.
Concert goers still feel
This report was written 20 years after the event and these people indicate how they were changed by it.
Comment by: Helen
4David, it’s hard for me to believe the Walmart store did all they could but as you say maybe the police investigation will show that they did.
Elaine I remember other crowd tragedies too - for example I remember hearing about a sports one a few years ago where a wall collapsed on several people.
The comments attributed to some shoppers surprised me too but I suppose they were caught up in the moment and the impact of what they were being told maybe didn’t sink in right away. After queuing all night you would be annoyed not to get what you queued for unless there was a really good reason.
Comment by: Bob
5The sad thing is it shouldn’t need to be up to the police. People ought to be able to control themselves so the person doesn’t get trampled in the first place. If people weren’t trying to cheat by running past the people that were there first it wouldn’t happen. Can’t the store admit people through turnstyle one at a time? It just seems so avoidable. Also an ugly commentary on human nature and priorities. I wonder how many people continued to horde their treasure after they realized someone had been killed.
Comment by: Helen
6Bob, I agree that people should be able to control themselves but since people in crowds do sometimes get carried away I think the store has to take that into account and take precautions. I don’t think they had a turnstile. Some other system to control entry could have prevented the problem but they didn’t seem to have anything like that in place and people were pushing right up against the doors and broke them down, then kept going.
It’s an ugly commentary on what people are capable of. It doesn’t convince me of Christian doctrine that people have a bent towards evil - I continue to think that people are capable of good or evil and they make choices to do one or the other all the time. Sometimes evil things do happen more through thoughtlessness than deliberate intent. But I still don’t think that’s because people are ‘evil’ - I think it’s because you have to pay attention to avoid bad things happening.
Comment by: Bob
7Hi Helen — It wasn’t my intent to apply a specific Christian doctrine — just a general observation. We can be terribly selfish or incidentally careless and we get results like this. I do think it’s human nature to be selfish, regardless of my religious beliefs. Think of small children before they are socialized. Adults aren’t all that different, we just learn to hide our motivations or justify them. It makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint too. If we are evolved with self preservation as our primary driver then we want for ourselves and those in our clan. Everyone else takes a back seat.
Christians, Atheists, or people of any belief struggle with being unselfish, generous and kind versus self preservation or betterment. It’s part of us whether we want to attribute it to any particular belief structure or not. The things we are capable of depress me no matter which world view lens I try to look at it through. I know there’s lots of good stuff too, so I just need to remember that.
I agree about the store, they are ultimately planning the event and bear the brunt of responsibility. I’m sure people didn’t realize someone was being hurt but a little communication might have helped. It’s too late now. I guess senseless things just happen and that’s part of life.
Comment by: MartinGugino
8I arrived at a Wal*Mart at 4:50 a.m. on Black Friday. There were many more people there than I expected. People were lined up surprisingly well, and well behaved. Things got a little ragged when by 5:30 we still had not moved much. They could have had staff out to explain that there was a second line of people who lined up the evening before who were being let in first, and that would have helped. There was a brief period when a small number of people went running or walking fast to the door to cut ahead, obviously, but most people ignored them. I wondered to myself what it would take to start a stampede, which I believe could have been started easily by curious experimental psycologists, and a small team of confederates with shopping carts.
We got into the store fairly soon after that, and there were additional lines inside the store, with no real attempt to convey what the lines were for. But people seemed to work it out. I saw some of the people who cut, and they did not seem to be any farther ahead.
I do feel that it is especially inappropriate to cut in line, in order to puchase Christmas presents. The two concepts do not go together.
Comment by: Bob
9Martin — It was cool to get your insight from the perspective of someone who was in the identical situation. There’s always a few people that will jump the gun or try to get ahead but it sounds like the group you were in handled it graciously. There are so many variables in terms of conditions and personalities, it’s hard to figure why one turns out well and the other so badly. Thanks for sharing that.
Comment by: Doreen
10I’m somewhat familiar with the shopping habits of those who live where the horrible shopping incident took place, having family who lives there. (I am very familiar with the mall in question, having shopped there frequently as a youngster.) You get mowed over in the grocery store on a normal shopping day just trying to get in line. I am not kidding. I stopped shopping there years ago. People are rude, in a hurry, and out for themselves. The store and police should have been better prepared. Personally I think this whole Black Friday is just a nightmare with this conclusion just waiting to happen more frequently.