A Filipina collapsed at Deira City Centre as thousands thronged to avail of the 3-hour-limited shopping spree of Athlete’s Co. on Friday, December 29, 2017.
The woman, according to witnesses who spoke to The Filipino Times, rushed outside the mall early in the morning while the store was still closed.
As the sale kicked off at 9 am, the Filipina was among those who braved the sea of shoppers to take advantage of the store’s Dh49-all-items sale.
In the video posted by TFT, a queue of shoppers can be seen outside the store either to get in or pay for their items over the counters.
However, at around 9:45 am, as people continued to drop by, the supposed happy holiday shopping spree started to turn into a ‘mad rush’.
Some unruly customers dug into the bottom of the pile to find the best deal. The push and pull of frantic shoppers also started to take hold, said Reggie Altera, a Filipino who witnessed the woman passing out.
He said the Filipina was accompanied by another woman when she fainted amidst the crowd. Some people came to help, as seen in the video, to revive her.
Athlete’s Co. management told TFT: “We are currently doing our best to calm everyone.”
The unexpected thousands of people who thronged the spree forced the store’s management to temporarily halt the sale and close its store at around 10 am.
Long tailbacks and traffic jams outside the mall were also observed.
Filipinos should expect holiday rush at this time and must be prepared for the queues at malls, with enough sleep and meal to be able to stand the rush.
