The grand opening of an Indian grocery store in New Jersey descended into chaos last week as hundreds of shoppers rushed to avail inaugural offers. A brand-new Patel Brothers opened in Piscataway, New Jersey — but what was meant to be a celebration soon became the site of confusion.
Videos shared online show dozens of shoppers pushing and shoving each other in a bid to grab produce off the shelves, apparently because of low prices. According to some unverified reports, the rush was due, in part, to Patel Brothers putting parwal (a type of gourd) on sale for just $1.99.
(Also read: US woman compares Indian markets with American stores: ‘Chaos, colours, bargaining’ shape the experience)
Watch the video below:
Video sparks criticism
The video of the new Patel Brothers store opening in New Jersey shows overwhelmed staffers trying to keep pace with the demand. Several shoppers, meanwhile, were seen grabbing bunches of produce and pushing their shopping carts through the aisles.
{{/usCountry}}The video of the new Patel Brothers store opening in New Jersey shows overwhelmed staffers trying to keep pace with the demand. Several shoppers, meanwhile, were seen grabbing bunches of produce and pushing their shopping carts through the aisles.
{{/usCountry}}The behaviour displayed in the video drew a certain amount of criticism, as several Indians sought to distance themselves from the chaos.
A woman named Laavanya Pasupuleti commented under the Instagram video, calling the display ‘embarrassing’. She said that even though she is based in New Jersey, she does not go “bargain hunting” like the people in the video.
“This made me feel soo incredibly embarrassed as an Indian American in NJ. My family and I are not one of those types to go bargain hunting as a mindset and act like this in the process,” she wrote. “Inflation has brought up prices and we accept the fact. We shop at Patel Brothers in NJ.”
“These are the people who act rich when they come to India to visit their relatives,” another said.
However, some people pointed out that the racism playing out in the comments section was unjustified, noting how the rush is no different from what many American malls witness during Black Friday sales.
“It's rich to shame people in one clip when the same behaviour is normal at Black Friday — stampedes aren’t cultural quirks, they’re predictable results of bad event design. Put rules, staffing, and safety measures in place and people won’t have to ‘rush’ to survive a sale,” a user wrote.
“Isn't this how white people react when black friday sales go on? Are we gonna be abusing and judging just cuz. These are brown people?” another asked.