Black And Blue Friday At Wal-Mart

Black Friday brought out the rowdy side of Wal-Mart shoppers here in California.

Round 1: Early this morning the Upland location shut down for more than two hours after customers caused a ruckus inside.

Store management called Upland police at 2:44 a.m., asking for assistance in dealing with customers who were “fighting inside”. About 300 people were in the store, which had remained open all night as a security precaution after a Wal-Mart worker on Long Island, N.Y., was trampled to death last year on Black Friday when a surging, impatient crowd rushed the doors after the store opened. But in Upland, employees said, customers began tearing into merchandise that had been shrink-wrapped and were supposed to be opened at 5 a.m.

“This was without a doubt the worst I’ve ever seen it,” said one employee, who said she has worked a dozen Black Fridays. Notice how they're more upset about the event and not a dozen years working at Wal-Mart? “They wouldn’t let people line up,” she added. “They were belligerent. They just bombarded the store.”

Several officers were sent and stood by as shoppers were kicked out and the store closed down. The shoppers were told to line up in the parking lot. Meanwhile, the carts were emptied and all the items returned to the shelves, employees said. But they said that outside, people began “yelling and screaming,” pounding on the glass doors and trying to sneak into the store through the lawn and garden section. Store managers had to be sent outside to try to calm the crowd. What a bunch of fucking animals.

The store had reopened a bit before 6 a.m., allowing customers inside in groups of 30, and “people were proceeding inside in an orderly fashion.” When police officers left at 6:15 a.m., “everyone was behaving themselves,” and no arrests were made, and no injuries were reported. By 9 a.m., the store seemed back to normal, with packed shopping carts and long checkout lines, as the scum of Upland were contented.

Round 2: Restlessness was also spreading to Rancho Cucamonga, as more customers got a bit too feisty. Wal-Mart management there decided to close the store just hours after the Upland location shut its doors. A spokesman for Wal-Mart said the store didn't actually close. Deputies were called at 4:03 a.m. and told that “subjects near the electronics area were fighting.” But “it was all over when we got there,” police said somewhat disappointed. None of the people allegedly involved were found; neither was the person who had reported the supposed scuffle, but the area was a mess. Or is that normally how it looks?

Deputies eventually left without making any arrests, and patrolled the area for a while afterward without any incident. Wal-Mart managers in Rancho Cucamonga declined to comment on the episode, but noted the chain had actually received "very positive feedback" about its Black Friday safety measures. "We had new safety plans in place this year at stores across the country and they were store-specific. There have been a few scuffles, but overall it's been a very safe event with no major issues." Number one on that list of plans? Don't get trampled.