Beaten to death for unbeatable prices

For the past six months, we've regularly heard how our nation's economic situation can be compared with the Great Depression. Just like the stock market crash of 1929 caused other sectors of the economy to crumble, so will the real estate crash we've experienced. In fact, we have seen higher unemployment, a credit crunch, several manufacturing and retail giants threaten bankruptcy, and a significant rise in consumer prices.

But then, yesterday, I read about a temporary employee who was trampled to death at a Wal-Mart on Long Island. Reports indicated that people had been on line since the previous morning. That's right - people skipped Thanksgiving in order to stand in line at a Wal-Mart. Then, at 4:55 AM on Black Friday, the crowd could wait no longer and broke down the door. Twenty-eight people were injured and one man was stomped to death.

Just to see what these great deals could possibly be, I checked out the Wal-Mart circular for Valley Stream, NY. On the front page, it says "Unbeatable prices." They should have clarified that it's just the deals that are unbeatable, not the Wal-Mart emloyees; they can be beaten - to death actually. Honestly, though, while a laptop for $448 is a good deal, I wouldn't miss Thanksgiving for it.

But I don't know who's to blame for the trampling. Certainly the people who broke down the door and knocked the man down are to blame, but I don't think they are the only ones. What about Wal-Mart? In hindsight, they should've had more security. But here's what I just don't understand. If Black Friday is so named because it puts companies "in the black" for the year, why not offer such great deals the whole month between Thanksgiving and Christmas? Clearly, the prices are still allowing these companies to make money. Why such a short window for lower prices?

I don't think it's just Wal-mart's fault, though. Though I myself have never participated in Black Friday, why do we give in so easily to the mob mentality? And I don't just mean the mentality that would crush someone to death; I mean, why do we collectively agree to do what corporations ask us to do? Is it really worth skipping Thanksgiving or dealing with insane crowds in order to save a few bucks? Maybe if we just didn't do Black Friday - just refused to go shopping on that one day, corporations would relent and lower their prices for a more convenient period of time. Right now, though, they say "jump" and America says, "how high?".

So, the Great Depression this is not. But could this be something far worse? Instead of realizing that the gods of consumerism and materialism are weak and idle, our allegiance to them seems to grow the less they provide for us.

Next week it will be December and the Christmas season will be in full-swing. My hope is that more people will realize how silly the greed and "the stuff" really is. While I myself like stuff just like everyone else, I would trade it in for something far better. I mean, when you think about what's really important, do you honestly think about the stuff?




Sources:

Robert D. McFadden and Angela Macropoulos, "Wal-Mart Employee Trampled to Death," New York Times, November 28, 2008. Available online here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/29/business/29walmart.html.

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