From Monday 15th.Why object of desire left bargain-hunters flattened at the home of the Ikea flatpack

 A version of this story was once considered for an exam. The phlegmatic British?
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From The Times
February 11, 2005
Why object of desire left bargain hunters flattened at the home of the Ikea flatpack
By David Rose and Sam Coates

The vocabulary in blue italics below gave you trouble or is noteworthy.

THE opening of England’s largest Ikea descended into a riot which left six people in hospital and thousands more disappointed yesterday after managers underestimated the British obsession with a bargain.

The 28,500sq m store in Edmonton, North London, had to close just 30 minutes after its midnight opening because 6,000 customers — three times the number expected — turned up, attracted by £30 bed-frames and £45 sofas.

In the moments after the doors opened, the store’s 50 security guards found themselves overwhelmed by the eager crowds, who pushed and elbowed their way into the showroom.

As they squeezed through the entrance, scores of shoppers were thrown to the ground and pinned against the wall by the throng, causing tempers to  be lost.

Once inside, the behaviour worsened. Video showed shoppers fighting about furniture and one man pinned against a wall by a well-built customer as they argued about  a sofa. A woman was left with blood pouring from her nose after she was pushed against a wall. Another was heard screaming in pain as she tried to escape the crush.

Police already on the scene called for back-up, so nine ambulances, six fire engines, one medical rapid-response car, and an emergency-control vehicle were all sent to the store.

But the emergency services were delayed because dozens of customers had left their cars along the North Circular Road (A406) and continued to the store  on foot. A spokeswoman for Scotland Yard said: “Many people abandoned their vehicles in the middle of the A406,and this has caused severe traffic difficulties.”

More than 20 people suffered heat exhaustion, many of them as they fought their way up the escalators, in the 30 minutes before managers decided to shut the store.

Some customers had to be taken out on stretchers, while others were given first aid by staff.  Six people had to stay in hospital overnight.

Almost all the 500 three-seater, £45 special-offer, leather sofas, reduced from £325, were sold in the 30 minutes after the store opened.

Karyn Christian, 38, started queueing at midday on Wednesday to get one of the sofas. She said that it was chaos when the store opened. “When they opened the doors I was pushed  and sprained my ankle. My cousin was pushed over. When we got inside, I saw people pulling at different ends of a sofa, shouting, ‘Mine! Mine!’ and others lying on the sofas trying to stop other customers carrying them away. It was like nothing I have ever seen before.” She said that another customer had threatened her with a wood mallet.

John Olie, Ikea UK’s deputy manager, said the company was “totally shocked and overwhelmed” by what had happened, and blamed queue-jumpers for inflaming tempers. “We didn’t predict this at all. We’ve opened 12 stores in the UK and we have had opening offers before.”

Notes :

•  bargain-hunter  we emphasize difficulty when you're seeking, searching, or looking for something by using "hunt" (=cazar) thus also flat-hunting, flathunter, etc house-hunting, etc.
• flatpack. see illustration. cf: a six-pack= 6 cans of beer,  a backpack= a rucksack, a bag on your back for hiking and travelling and pilgrimages, a lunch-pack, perhaps sandwiches and an apple in cling-film,   a brat pack = a group of spoiled youngsters, etc etc
• Not a flat, noun, where you live, but "flat" adjective --> the verb to flatten. ..only a few verbs are formed in this way, but they are frequently used , and there are others in this text: 
• threat-->to threaten s.o. with s.th (= a menace, to menace s.o. with s.th)
• worse--> to worsen = to get worse
• a riot, to riot, a rioter. Local history will exemplify: Demonstrations  a quarter century ago in Cartagena descended into a riot.The rioters set fire to the Local Assembly building. Riot Police were called in.  Riot Police often use water cannons, tear gas, and rubber bullets to stop rioters rioting. Sadly , this is common and necessary vocabulary.
• to estimate--->to overestimate &  to underestimate
• to overwhelm : to overcome or win by large numerical superiority: in other words, if there are TOO MANY for you, you are overwhelmed.
• eager = very exitedly ready for something you want, in a state of keen anticipication
• to + make/other verb  +one's + way + or - preposition  a bit tricksy for Spanish students, is expressed with very different structures in Spanish = abrirse paso/camino + - el modo de hacerlo +o- donde.   There are two here :
• Elbowed their way into. into--> entered, they made their way and entered. How ? using elbows ---> to elbow ( to hit with your fist is to punch, with your foot is to kick , but to head, as in football, to elbow, as here, to knee etc, don't have a special verb).  
• fought their way up. the up ---> subieron, how did they make their way? they fought. Subieron abriendose paso por medio de pelear is horrible Spanish, here  a Spaniard would probably say something more  like pelearon para subir...This is why if you translate too much you won't get used to using this set of expressions.
• squeeze = very close to to crush and  to to flatten.
• throng = crowd, to throng = to crowd
• to pin, the metaphor is with pinning a notice on a notice board with pins or drawing-pins, or a specimen ( butterflies etc) in a collection....
• wellbuilt- big and strong, often fat with it.
• Spokeswoman. The oldest form , spokesman, the person who offically speaks for a group, has given a family : spokeswoman, spokesperson , spokespeople, etc.
• chaos. Check the English pronunciation
• stretchers, see picture.
• first aid
• sprained my ankle
• Queue . to queue is to form an orderly queue. to queue-jump = to jump the queue, is to not respect the order of the queue, to push in front.  

Other matters: 
The mis-  of mistake, and with the idea of mistake, appears in

misunderstand, a misunderstanding ( not  a BadlyUnderstood )

mispronounce

mishear 

mislay and misplace, which are close synonyms , =put in the wrong place, , for traspapelar, extraviar,etc