According to a blog posting on the VH1 Best Week Ever site, a San Diego Best Buy created a makeshift display filled with movies starring Heath Ledger mere hours after the 28-year old actor was found dead in his New York apartment. (Hat tip: Gawker)
I am awaiting a call back from a Best Buy spokesperson for comment, but for now I’ll assume that this was not a corporate-wide move.
If nothing else comes out of it, this can at least serve as an unfortunate example of how our capitalistic instincts should not be allowed to crowd out our common sense when it comes to dealing with customers. I imagine it’s safe to assume that any uptick in sales of Heath Ledger-related DVDs that may have came out of such a stunt was probably well balanced by the customers who likely took one look and immediately left the store in search of something that might get rid of the bad taste left in their mouths.
If I were to take a cue from The Columbia Journalism Review’s “Darts & Laurels” column, this tasteless move would surely warrant a dart.
