OUTTAKE #2 Rampant Consumerism

In September of 2004, three people were crushed to death, and sixteen were injured in a stampede at an Ikea furniture store in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A mob of more than 8,000 people had gathered outside the IKEA. They were waiting to pick up $150 vouchers, and some of them had camped outside the store overnight. When the store's doors were opened, security guards were unable to cope. One member of the crowd told a reporter that he'd never seen anything like it in Saudi Arabia before.
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In February of 2005, at 12:01 a.m., the doors of a new IKEA store in Edmonton, north London, opened; at 12:41 a.m., they closed again after 6,000 impatient shoppers who were lusting after leather sofas for only £45, and other succulent bargains, stampeded. In the ensuing chaos, six people were injured and taken to the hospital, including one young man who had been stabbed. The store had advertised that special bargains would be available only between midnight and 3 am. Many people were in such a rush to get their bargains that they had abandoned their cars on the roadside.
IKEA's UK deputy manager, John Olie told a reporter: "We planned everything according to what we expected-we just couldn't predict what happened. If we had known this would happen, we would have had other measures in place... we were totally shocked and overwhelmed by what happened. We could not have predicted it. We are really, really sorry. We are really, really sorry."
Apparently, after having caused two dangerous stampedes, the company finally learned something. IKEA's manager announced that "We've taken all the offers off sale. We won't be having any more offers at all."
Here is a tale of woe from Chuck, one of my husband’s co-workers: He and his wife got in line at the local Target store at a quarter to six with the other avid shoppers on "Black Friday," the day after Thanksgiving. At six a.m. the doors opened, and the shoppers all piled in. Chuck was carried along by the throng to the sale area, but before he could even get his bearings, a shopping cart hit him from behind, buckling his knees. He had just regained his footing, when a lady who had just sped past him, spun her cart around 180 degrees and blindsided him with enough force to send him sprawling. Then, like the first cart-driver, she sped off without a word. At that point the victim picked himself up and shouted to his wife, "I'll be by the door!" and made his escape. His wife managed to purchase a wagon for their grandson by herself.


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