I think this qualifies as a riot.
Black Friday 2009 at an undisclosed Walmart (via the Huffington Post):
If Walmart didn’t defraud its Black Friday customers by offering so few of any sale item that they disappear within minutes (if not seconds), this wouldn’t happen. It’s just that simple.
It’s all a part of making money. People don’t care how they get their cash, just as long as they get to take care of themselves and their family directly. They don’t care how any other people are effected.
That is either several years old or not in the U.S. Watch the signing in the background…not what we are currently using in united states, plus an associate wearing a smock….Jonathan, surely you can trace your posts to all the drama we had with dress code a few years back. It’s just that simple…’cause you’ve run a retail establishment before, right? “Those who can do…those who can’t, teach.”
Holly: I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but I’m pretty sure that’s from this year. Check out the item they’re going after – it’s the Rock Band bundles we had for $50. Not sure on the signing part (couldn’t make much out) – my guess on the smock – they were the special event vests we got in.
Good call, Bob. The item is a good catch. The signing is a weird twist, though. Still want to give Jonathan grief for having no perspective on what it takes to go through one of these events though.
Events? It’s a stunt, Holly. Walmart could stop this spectacle any time it wants by guaranteeing the prices they offer on Black Friday, but they won’t do it because they want people to behave this way and they want people to be unsatisfied so that they’ll buy something more expensive.
I’ll give you perspective: Fifty years ago people wouldn’t accept that kind of customer relations, but now they’re so used to being stepped on they think it’s inevitable. Thanks again Walmart for making everyone’s basic consumer experience everywhere that much more inhospitable!
So, if you have only 50 TVs and 51 people want them, do you raise the price until one of the people drop out or throw away the TVs and not sell any?
Order more.
Only have 50. Can’t get more at the lower price. Any more that come in will be at the higher price.
Don’t have the sale because it will anger everyone who shows up at 4AM in the morning and can’t get the price.
So, don’t offer discounted merchandise to the customers? Should it be thrown away? Should it be sold at the higher, regular price?