iRiot for cheap laptops

Via CNN:

A rush to purchase $50 used laptops turned into a violent stampede Tuesday, with people getting thrown to the pavement, beaten with a folding chair and nearly driven over. One woman went so far to wet herself rather than surrender her place in line.

I've been excited about a sale before, but I can't say I've ever peed on myself (or anyone else) to get that sale item-- or beat anyone with household furniture for that matter.

Jesse Sandler said he was one of the people pushing forward, using a folding chair he had brought with him to beat back people who tried to cut in front of him.

"I took my chair here and I threw it over my shoulder and I went, 'Bam,"' the 20-year-old said nonchalantly, his eyes glued to the screen of his new iBook, as he tapped away on the keyboard at a testing station.

"They were getting in front of me and I was there a lot earlier than them, so I thought that it was just," he said.

In some countries there are fights over food - but in America we fight over outdated laptops.

This reminds me of the first (and last) time I went to an Armani sample sale. People literally ran into the showroom and claimed entire racks of clothing as their own. One person threatened to "beat my ass" for looking in the general direction of the pile of last season's clothing that he had horded in the corner.

So the moral of the story is that you won't meet the most upstanding citizens around at sample sales -- and if you choose to go, bring a bat (or whatever blunt object you can find).


Panic ensues in rush for cheap laptops [cnn.com]
$50 iBooks cause stampede! [unofficial apple weblog]
Video footage [wwbt.com]




PS: on a side note you can now get your "I went to Henrico County for a $50 iBook but all I got was kicked in the balls" t-shirt on ebay!