Chinese Lives

Original chinese article from:
http://www.backchina.com/newspage/2007/10/28/136192.shtml

Yesterday, 15 people got hurt while hundreds stampeded to claim their lower-priced soy oil, five minutes after Le Gou supermarket opened. Local sources said before 7 in the morning, people lived nearby started queueing at front door or side doors, holding promotion voucher delivered to their mail box by the supermarket. With this voucher, a 5L Soy oil originally priced 50.80 Yuan only cost 30.80 Yuan. Since only 3000 buckets were in offer, those came late could not redeem their vouchers.

5 minutes before the store open time, quequing people lost their patience, partly because many new joiners jumped queques, leaving those quequed behind raging angers. When the door opened, those who queued at back pushed and stampeded forward to reach the counter, which make many pushed down and run over by the flooded-ins. Ms Chen, who lost her shoes, stampeded on the hand, and had her mobile phone stolen, wished she had never been there.

The local police reacted quickly, arriving the scene in five minutes after some one called 110 (China’s emergency number) . The caotic scene was under control. Only the messy shoes everywhere scene witnessed the crazy pushing scenario .

In hospital, 19 stampede victims were accompanied by the supermarket staff. 14 had wrist bruised or twisted ankle, while a female customer were wounded badly, left in swollen head and several fractures.

Supermarket promotion ended in hospital treatments, was totally out of the plan for the supermarket side. However, they did take the responsibility to take care of the wounded. There was another scenario. When one man appeared at checkout with four cases of oils, 10 people, waiting nearby, asserted that he was given the oil by his relations in the store. Soon the poor man had two cases looted by them.

That was exciting and amusing, if you connected with Shanghai, the shining star city which outstands other cities in China. If I were you, I would not judge Shanghai and the people there with this single incidents.