Hundreds of customers, fights, thefts and crowd movements. The first day of liquidation forced both stores to close their doors this Wednesday afternoon.
The situation deteriorated over the hours. Forcing security to close the doors of Galeries Lafayette at the Center Bourse in Marseille, then to completely evacuate the Prado Shopping shopping center in the middle of the afternoon.
The cause: crowd movements, fights and attempted thefts, all before the eyes of stunned customers. After an hour and a half in line, around fifty people wanted to enter by force.
And they broke the doors and security officers were crushed,” says Sarah. “We heard screaming, the security officers were overwhelmed. I was close to buying my items and I was asked to leave,” sighs Salhia in front of the lowered gates. Many customers had to turn back when they arrived at the entrance of the two stores in the afternoon.
However, a few hours earlier, employees of the Center Bourse witnessed a scene worthy of the greatest sales hours, without clashes. Customers crowded around the windows, present for many minutes before the doors opened, and some slight jostling on the stairs as they entered the store around 10 a.m. With up to 80% off, the huge liquidation attracted a lot of people.
More than 900 customers counted in the first hour
“Since 9 a.m., I’ve been sending messages, photos of the crowd to friends, to tell them that it’s amazing,” confides Jean-Baptiste, without losing sight of his objective, “it makes me really happy, I don’t really have the means to buy what I want. So, I’m coming to stock up for the season.”
Some did scouting several days in advance like Camille. “I came to look at what was left in store over the last few days. There are quite a few small brands that are quite interesting.” So many customers, which worries Christiane: “two items only interest me, but I don’t know if I will be able to buy them given how many people there are”.
A few minutes after the doors opened at 10 a.m., security was forced to intervene. Several altercations broke out and thefts were quickly intercepted by security guards. After an hour, they are forced to regulate the entries.
Same observation or almost at the Prado Shopping side, near the Orange Vélodrome. The two spaces, on the ground floor and 1st floor, of Galeries Lafayette are taken by storm. If the queues get longer at the entrance, the queues at the checkout explode. Up to two hours needed before going out with your purchases.
End of liquidation on November 29
Despite the good deals, many people have a thought for the employees. “I think it’s a shame, a lot of jobs are going to be lost,” regrets Justine. “I’m happy as a consumer. But with the internet, it’s becoming more and more economically complicated for city center stores,” admits Amélie.
A feeling of helplessness shared by the 145 employees of two points of sale in Marseille. “You know, I’ve been working at Galeries Lafayette for 35 years, it’s heartbreaking to see this today. But we will be really sad on November 29 when it closes for good,” explains Michelle Fanucchi, elected FO and secretary of the CSE of Galeries Lafayette in Marseille. In the meantime, the two Marseille brands should reopen Thursday morning, to welcome customers again.
