Several injured, hospitalized, from iBook sale

[Nate]

Remember the iBooks going on sale for dirt cheap shooraijin posted about a while back? It got front page coverage on the Richmond Times-Dispatch newspaper. Here's the highlights of the article:

Chaos erupted yesterday morning at Richmond International Raceway as people stampeded through the gates in a rush to buy used iBook laptops for $50 each.

Mothers clutched their children for protection, people screamed as they were knocked to the ground, a stroller was demolished, cars inched through the crowd.

The crowd started forming at 1:30 a.m. as Henrico residents and taxpayers began to arrive. By the time dawn broke, people on foot had formed a line half a mile long. Others waited in cars parked nearby or milled about the entrance to RIR. An official estimate put the crowd at 5,500. Other observers estimated a crowd size more than twice that.

Several people sustained minor injuries. One person was taken to the hospital with a leg injury, Battalion Chief Steve Wood said at an afternoon news conference. In all, 17 people were treated, the majority for heat- or diabetic-related problems, he said.

An eBay entrepreneur was offering 100 T-shirts for $7.50 apiece that read: "I went to Henrico County for a $50 iBook . . . but all I got was kicked in the [vulgarity]." By 7 p.m. a dozen had been ordered.

Glad I decided not to go. Full article (and pictures) can be found here:

http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031784478882

[shooraijin]

Yeah, I read about that. Not exactly distinguished ways to behave.

[Locke]

Guess people are that desperate to switch OS's

[ChristianKitsune]

*siiiiigh* I hate our Materialistic world.....

[cbwing0]

There was also an article in the Washington Post today describing the event.

Guess people are that desperate to switch OS's

I would hope that most of the people who purchased the computers were those that couldn't afford them any other way, and so will actually use them rather than simply reselling them to make a buck.

[Sakura15]

*siiiiigh* I hate our Materialistic world.....

Meh..I hear ya Oneechan..

Sad..sad.

[ChristianKitsune]

Reminds me of the Furbys back in the late 1990's...*cringe*

[Locke]

Reminds me of the Furbys back in the late 1990's...*cringe*

...and beanie babys and tamagotchis (sp?) and marbles (in my school >.>)

[Godly Paladin]

Brings back memories of those Japanese shoppers who were killed in a rush for Gundam models.

"It's a sick world we live in, full of sick people!" ~ Sinbad, Jingle All the Way

[ChristianKitsune]

I agree GP! *siiiiigh* Psh...

[ashfire]

After watching the scene on TV I think the police should have called in more officers to control the people. 17 people injuried 4 of them needing to be hospitalized. Small children endangered by the rush, people pushed to the ground and tramped. I hate to think what it would be like at a convention if we didn't have security to control the crowd getting in or offering info about what is happening.

[Arnobius]

Definitely should have been planned better. $50 for a computer is bound to bring everyone out. They're lucky nobody was killed in the rush.

[Slater]

yikes... talk about obsession...

[Nate]

I would hope that most of the people who purchased the computers were those that couldn't afford them any other way, and so will actually use them rather than simply reselling them to make a buck.

Nope, the article described how a few people already put them up on eBay, and one of them got a $200 offer.

[Arnobius]

Nope, the article described how a few people already put them up on eBay, and one of them got a $200 offer.

Some people managed to make money off the sale -- one man sold his laptop on-site for $200. An eBay entrepreneur was offering 100 T-shirts for $7.50 apiece that read: "I went to Henrico County for a $50 iBook . . . but all I got was kicked in the [vulgarity]." By 7 p.m. a dozen had been ordered.

Actually he sold it on site, not on ebay

[Kaligraphic]

There's been a lot of discussion about how it could/should have been planned better, but I think the real message is that Macs are inherently dangerous and should be banned.

[Arnobius]

There's been a lot of discussion about how it could/should have been planned better, but I think the real message is that Macs are inherently dangerous and should be banned.

Works for me

[Azier the Swordsman]

Why am I not surprised? *shakes head*

[shooraijin]

There's been a lot of discussion about how it could/should have been planned better, but I think the real message is that Macs are inherently dangerous and should be banned.

Macs don't kill people. I kill people.

[Shao Feng-Li]

That's just stupid... I got my laptop for FREE.

As if we need more proof that the human race will be doomed through stupidity.

[Zilch]

See why I'm a PC person?

Mac weenies are crazy...

[Arnobius]

Macs don't kill people. I kill people.

when you get mad at it and toss it out the window, hitting someone?

[Mithrandir]

There's a great way to derail a thread. Yeah, yeah, you're a biggot, I'm a biggot, but can't we all just get along?

Anyway, on the subject of off topicness, I saw this and went, "Wait, didn't I see that before when they were selling cabbiage patch kids?"

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

Sounds messy! How did they afford to sell them $50 a piece?

[shooraijin]

See why I'm a PC person?

Mac weenies are crazy...

I dare you to tell your sister that. Go on. I dare ya.

[Espoir]

wow. that is disgusting and insane. i hate people who act like that. at first i thought it was a joke when i started reading the post!

[Zilch]

I dare you to tell your sister that. Go on. I dare ya

Already did. It's amazing how fast I can type with just my tongue and left earlobe. ^^

[Fsiphskilm]

Ha. T

[uc pseudonym]

Sadly enough, this is hardly the first time. I suppose it is fortunate that no one was killed.

Aside, when I first saw the title, I thought that the actual sale (as in, the opposite of purchase) caused the injuries and hospitalizations. That made me highly curious, as I was running through a lot of odd scenarios in my head.

[ChristianKitsune]

Sadly enough, this is hardly the first time. I suppose it is fortunate that no one was killed.

Aside, when I first saw the title, I thought that the actual sale (as in, the opposite of purchase) caused the injuries and hospitalizations. That made me highly curious, as I was running through a lot of odd scenarios in my head.

I can see it the newspapers now UC P!

WOMAN DIES FROM SHOCK OF CHEAP LAPTOP

Today, a woman died from a heart attack, after being so overjoyed that her favorite Laptop brand went on sale for a mere fifty dollars and zero cents.

Police say that the woman suddenly collasped in line... The Alleged killer? An Ibook.