Bombs away

Wal-Mart is a true believer in the Christmas holidays. It was an early "Merry Christmas" covert, lauded by Bill O'Reilly, keeper of the War on Christmas. See Think Progress.

In that vein, what better way to celebrate the Christmas season than for Wal-Mart to do everything in its power to ensure that their Christmas shoppers are able to shop until they drop? The Sioux Falls paper, the Argus Leader reported that Wal-Mart didn't close despite a pre-holiday threat, in Wal-Mart stays open for search:

Last Saturday afternoon, Eva Voorhees heard the clatter of feet on the roof of the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Mitchell where she works in the photo department - but it wasn't the pitter-patter of reindeer.

It was the police looking for a bomb. Up front, police officers, the SWAT team and others were busy searching the store next to customers who were browsing for gifts. The police looked in jewelry counters, wrapping paper rolls, freezers, the back room where trucks unload and closets at Tire Lube Express.

During the nearly two-hour search, Wal-Mart officials opted not to evacuate the busy discount store even though police recommended they do so. Wal-Mart officials said the call was a hoax and not a threat.

The incident has family members of Wal-Mart employees criticizing store officials for failing to take the threat seriously.

Voorhees has worked at the Mitchell discount chain for about four years. Her daughter, Charlotte Goode, 36, said Voorhees called her Sunday, crying and upset as she relayed the story.

"It's right before Christmas. They were swamped with people," she said. "To me, they endangered the community, customers and associates. They put making a buck ahead of public safety."

On Saturday, the Mitchell store - like many retailers nationwide - was filled with customers making last-minute holiday purchases. The store had at least $400,000 in sales at stake.

When Elida Antaya of Plankinton shopped at the store about 9 a.m., she said it was full of customers.

The store received a call at 2:10 p.m. from a male who said a bomb was there. Lyndon Overweg, Mitchell public safety chief, said the caller did not go into specific details.

The SWAT team was dispatched, along with many officers to help clear out the store.

Overweg said police recommended the store be evacuated to allow SWAT team and other officers to search the building. But Wal-Mart opted not to, he said.

Wal-Mart. It's tagline should be: A truly Christian kind of place, a good corporate citizen. Of course, that only applies if the one true God is a buck.

Tags: News, Wal-Mart