Friday, November 28, 2008

Charleston Stores Super Glued Shut on Black Friday

The day after Thanksgiving usually is the day most merchants look forward to, but as many as 70 merchants on lower King Street in Charleston, SC got a surprise when they discovered they couldn't unlock their front doors.

"Seems to be super glue. I tried to get it out with acetone, nail polish remover, and that didn't work," merchant Erastus Corning said.

Police say the vandals filled the locks with super glue. Up and down the street, from high end chain stores to locally owned stores, it was easy to spot who was victimized by the super glue vandals.

"I think it's so vicious. It really is because given the state of retail right now, it's just another blow. It's really upsetting," merchant Maggie McEnamin said.

Locksmith vans were lined up on Charleston's King Street. For them, business was booming.

One of the local stores decided not to wait for a locksmith, as one of their employees actually picked up a cinder block, and threw it through the front window so they could open up for business.

The merchants suspect the super glue vandals are teens, and the timing couldn't have been worse for business. First a bad economy and now vandals with an apparent sick and sticky sense of humor.

Some great photos at Walk This Way

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While some Charleston store owners are calling for a rope and a tall tree elsewhere things are alot worse:

In Palm Desert California, A shooting took place inside a Toys "R" Us store and two people were killed. Shoppers scrambled to other businesses until the police arrived. More Details: Toys "R" Us Shooting

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In New York a Walmart employee was trampled to death after a crowd of nearly 2000 gathered outside the store surged forward when the hapless employee unlocked the door and turned his back on the crowd.

More Details Walmart Employee Killed

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I like how the Toys R Us shoppers scrambled into another business:

1. Go to my car and drive home or as far away as possible to safety.

or

2. Check out another the other stores, let things cool down and continue bargain hunting.