Greed or lunacy?

GaryKelly · Post by **GaryKelly** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 3:52 am

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/engl ... 252421.stm

Crush chaos at Ikea store opening

Several people were hurt in the crush as thousands flocked to the midnight opening of Ikea's newest store. The shop stayed open for just 30 minutes because of safety fears at the store in Edmonton, north London.

Five people were taken to hospital, one with chest pains, and up to 20 suffered from heat exhaustion.

Police said the stabbing of a man, in his 20s, near the store at about 0130 GMT was unrelated. He was also taken to hospital where his condition is stable.

Ikea said its flagship store, the biggest in England, had to close because of an "unforeseen volume of customers".

An Ikea spokeswoman said the company was "deeply shocked, upset and concerned" and blamed a queue "surge" for the crush.

Bargain-hunters even abandoned their cars on the A406 north circular causing "severe traffic" problems, the Met said.

Advertising announcing cut price offers over 24 hours attracted between 4,000 and 6,000 people to the store, according to the London Ambulance Service.

Eye-witness Patrick Passley told BBC News there was a lack of security and trouble flared when queue-jumpers got into the store past some customers who had been waiting outside since about 1800 GMT.

He said: "They (Ikea staff) quickly closed the doors after a lot of people got in by jumping the queue.

Damaged doors

"People became agitated and eventually they started trying to charge the doors."

Ikea said it had worked closely with the emergency services in planning for the opening but said the store would remain closed until further notice.

amar · Post by **amar** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 4:10 am

idiots

Flyingcursor · Post by **Flyingcursor** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 4:17 am

Good grief. Mob mentality. All that to save a few pence.

jbarter · Post by **jbarter** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 4:59 am

I think I'll stick with my chince.

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 5:42 am

I was flabbergasted at how busy a regular IKEA store was on Sunday morning.

This must have been ten times worse.

IKEA should have known better.

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 9:22 am

Gunacy.

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 9:28 am

I don't get it. Maybe there was a special on Lingonberry sauce?

tansy · Post by **tansy** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 9:51 am

this sounds like Ergot poisoning, which also seems to be quite common in washington d.c.

suejnnhe · Post by **suejnnhe** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 9:53 am

Perhaps this should be in the "Morons walk the Earth" thread?

glauber · Post by **glauber** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 9:53 am

Ah, the drive to buy affordable and efficient furniture that packs flat so you can take it home atop your car!

missy · Post by **missy** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 9:59 am

WHO CONCERT!!!!!

(yes, living in Cincinnati, I went through all the stupidity after that tragic event! - I love our city council.....hmm....I'll have to look it up and see if Jerry Springer was still on council at that time.......)

Missy

IRTradRU? · Post by **IRTradRU?** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 3:48 pm

Cranberry wrote:Gunacy.

Good one!

dubhlinn · Post by **dubhlinn** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 5:04 pm

missy wrote:WHO CONCERT!!!!!

(yes, living in Cincinnati, I went through all the stupidity after that tragic event! - I love our city council.....hmm....I'll have to look it up and see if Jerry Springer was still on council at that time.......)

Missy

How did we get from IKEA to the Who?????

Slan,
D.

Post by **Nanohedron** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 5:22 pm

What is up with that???? For fecksake, it's just furniture.

Then again, I don't have the shopping bug. What do I know...

missy · Post by **missy** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 5:53 pm

dubhlinn - in November of 1979 - the Who were playing Cincinnati. Indoor coluseum on the riverfront. Festival seating. Anyway, it was freezing cold, people had been on the concourse level for hours, and they heard the band (doing what was evidently a mike check). The crowd stampeded, and only one set of doors were open. People were literally crushed to death (eleven died total). It was the beginning of the "ban" on festival seating in the US, which wasn't lifted in Cincinnati until last year.

So - at least around here - whenever there's a big crush of people rushing doors, etc. - someone always yells "WHO CONCERT". Kinda like in the 70's someone always yelled "FREEBIRD" at any concert.

Missy