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Women Faint When
4000 Rush
Store's 2'- Frocks
A heavy plate-glass door was knocked off its rollers
and 10 women fainted and were treated by ambulance
attendants at a Bourke Street store early today when nearly
4000 women shoppers fought to get into the thrift depart-
men where frocks were being sold for 2/.
Police were called in to help
control the crowds.
One woman had to be given
first-aid after she was Jammed In
the sliding entrance doors.
Police ordered the entrance
doors to be opened because of the
danger of the glass breaking under
the pressure of the crowd.
A woman with a baby In arms,
who had been waiting from 7.30
a.m., was at the head of the queue
when shop assistants reported for
work today. They took the baby
from her until the doors were
opened.
Hundreds of women waited on
stairways to gain entrance to the
thrift department, which is on the
second floor. There it took three
strong men to hold back a heavy
fireproof door as women clamored
to get in.
Several women fainted, and
many had suitcases and shopping
bags broken In the scramble to get
through the door.
There were 50 frocks for sale at
2/ each, and one shop assistant
estimated that they were all gone
In 30 seconds in the first wave of
300 shoppers.
There was a sprinkling of men
among the first bargain hunters to
reach the department. One "tram-
mie" managed to buy a 2/ frock.
Other frocks priced at 5/, 10/
and £1 each went with the same
lightning speed.
By 10 a.m., the crush had eased
at the entrance to the store, but
the stairway was crammed and
shoppers, arriving late, were told
it would be another two hours be
fore they could reach the thrift
department.
(Pictures in Page 3)
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