January Sales Claim Record Number of Male
Suicides
By Jay Effkay ◦ 22-Jan-2008
Blood on the shop floor
Suicides among husbands and boyfriends in the
2008 January sales are up 57% on last year, latest figures show.
Clothing retailer Next has reported the most suicides, its Oxford
Street branch recording nearly 37 fatalities and at least 12
attempted suicides.
Therapists say that many men struggle to maintain sanity amid the wanton shopping by their partners, while the primal mob mentality of female shoppers can drive many to the brink.
Stephanie Jones, 27, said "I finally convinced my boyfriend to come with me to Next on the 7th, a full week after the sale started. I left him by the escalator but by the time I came back he had slit his wrists with a coathanger. But I managed to buy these gorgeous shoes for only £20, can you believe it?!".
Others were lucky to escape with their lives. Chris Thomas, 31 from Guildford, told the Daily Fortnight, "There was a group of six men standing together at the side of the shop. We all thought it would be safer if we stayed as a group, but after two hours five of them had topped themselves. The women were going crazy, screaming and clawing at everything with a price tag....", he sobbed "the floor was covered in hangers and labels... It was carnage..."
Retail safety officials have recommended that more benches be provided for men during the sales, and that trained counsellors should be on hand in the larger stores.
Therapists say that many men struggle to maintain sanity amid the wanton shopping by their partners, while the primal mob mentality of female shoppers can drive many to the brink.
Stephanie Jones, 27, said "I finally convinced my boyfriend to come with me to Next on the 7th, a full week after the sale started. I left him by the escalator but by the time I came back he had slit his wrists with a coathanger. But I managed to buy these gorgeous shoes for only £20, can you believe it?!".
Others were lucky to escape with their lives. Chris Thomas, 31 from Guildford, told the Daily Fortnight, "There was a group of six men standing together at the side of the shop. We all thought it would be safer if we stayed as a group, but after two hours five of them had topped themselves. The women were going crazy, screaming and clawing at everything with a price tag....", he sobbed "the floor was covered in hangers and labels... It was carnage..."
Retail safety officials have recommended that more benches be provided for men during the sales, and that trained counsellors should be on hand in the larger stores.
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