A crowd gathered at a department store to buy children's shoes from a famous brand, leading to shouting and scuffles.
According to police and others on the 24th, a report was received around 10:55 a.m. that "a crowd has gathered at the department store causing congestion." About 100 customers flocked to a sports apparel store at Lotte Department Store in Incheon ahead of the sale of children's sneakers, creating a bottleneck.
The department store distributed tickets to customers waiting in line before its opening at 10:30 a.m., but when the entrance doors opened, customers who had not been in line began to enter as well. During this process, items were sold regardless of the tickets, and customers shouted or engaged in physical altercations. The situation calmed only after police arrived on the scene and managed the crowd.
The product responsible for the 'open run crisis' is children's summer sneakers that a sports apparel brand first released last year. Only a limited quantity is sold, resulting in it being sold out each time it is restocked. Earlier this month, it sold out immediately upon restocking twice, and on that day, all online and offline inventory was exhausted right after the third restock.
Some of those who purchased shoes that day reportedly resold them on online second-hand sites with a markup, pricing the shoes in the 80,000 won range.