As many as 3,000 people attended Friday’s celebration, where organizers promised the first 1,000 people a gift box, 10 of which contained $500 mall gift cards. Shoppers rushed forward when the giveaway began, causing mass panic and mild injuries.
Organizers had draped a curtain behind a stage to hide a new, horseshoe-shaped food court and the 1,000 gift boxes.
When the drapes were pulled back, shoppers rushed the food court, shoving each other to get to the gift boxes. Up to five minutes of chaos and panic ensued, Chief Fire Inspector Bill Moody said Wednesday.
You should see some of the letters to the editor from the entire week. I couldn't help but laugh at people saying they were lucky to get out with their lives. I'm sure it was chaotic at the mall, but we're not exactly in Iraq here. Blaming the mall for not being prepared for 3,000 people is one thing, but you can't expect them to be prepared for the throngs of morons who decided to make a mad dash for $500 gift certificates. They have noone to blame but themselves. Suburbanites Gone Wild.
They could have made the people wait in line and had them come up one by one to receive a gift box from one of the employees. Sounds like they just didn't have a plan and let it become a free for all instead.
That wasn't a Lincoln jab it was a Gateway Jab (though I haven't been to the new and improved Gateway.) I lived in Lincoln for the past 5 years while going to school, and always thought of Gateway as being pretty ghetto. Similar to Crossroads in Omaha though not that hard up. I've never seen Gateway as being the mall of choice for "suburbanites"
Nebraska will get its second H&M store this fall when the Swedish clothing retailer opens at Lincoln’s Gateway Mall.
The 20,000-square-foot store will occupy three retail bays next to Dillard’s, mall marketing director Jen Morand-Ackerman said.
“We’re very excited to welcome them to Lincoln,” she said
On a side note, how is this for a thread revival!
For the record NEBUGEATER does not equal BUGEATER !!!!!!!