‘Tis the season of sales, but tact should remain

The day following Thanksgiving has traditionally been the busiest shopping day in the Unites States. But this year it looked as if some shoppers threw out their holiday spirit in the run for some cheap merchandise in what amounted to one of the biggest showing sales in American history.

In Florida’s Orange County, for example, a woman standing in line for a DVD player at her local Wal-Mart was pushed to the ground and knocked out by customers who were making a sprint for the rebated electronics. The 41-year-old woman had been first in line when the store opened at 6 a.m. After she was admitted to a local hospital, doctors confirmed that she had had a seizure while lying on the ground after being knocked unconscious by the fall.

“She got pushed down, and they walked over her like a herd of elephants,” her sister told the Associated Press.

Wal-Mart has since then apologized to the woman and offered to put one of the $29 DVD players on hold for her.

Apart from the fact that Wal-Mart probably should have given the DVD player to her free of charge to make up for her troubles, it shows that some shoppers do not have any restraint or morals when it comes to scooping up what they perceive to be a good deal.

A lot of shoppers have begun to shun the brick and mortar stores and rather spend their dollars online. Wal-Mart, however, made the highest gross ever in its history: $1.52 billion.

The irony that such rushes to the mall and other shopping outlets happens the day after the nation is reflecting on what they have and express thanks for it, is lost to most. Yet the message learned from incidents like the one at the Orange County Wal-Mart should be apparent and have been stated before. The holidays are not about merchandise and good deals.

Naturally the U.S. economy depends on the holiday season for a big share of its annual sales. But who said these sales cannot happen without a certain sense of civility? Knocking other people unconscious over a $29 piece of merchandise that probably is not of too high quality anyway is unacceptable.