slo-mo home depot

Improv Everywhere, the guys who pulled off that U2 stunt last year in year in midtown, were up to their antics again last weekend. This time they took over the Home Depot in Chelsea, and with hilarious results. Here is a brief synopsis from their webpage -

A few years back we executed a mission that involved repeating time. Ever since then I've wanted to try something that stopped or slowed down time. How would people react if they found themselves surrounded by people moving forward at a different rate or time (or not moving at all)? I decided the Home Depot on 23rd Street in Manhattan was the perfect place to try this out for two reasons. 1) The assonance in "Slo-Mo Home Depot" sounds funny. 2) The mere existence of a Home Depot, an enormous behemoth of a store, on our tiny island is hilarious. It also helped that the store is located on the exact same block as the Best Buy we invaded earlier this year.

On a Saturday afternoon, around 225 people showed up at the meeting point in Madison Square Park, a short walk from the Home Depot. After everyone had assembled I revealed the mission details. We would synchronize our watches and then walk over to Home Depot and shop. At exactly 4:15 we would all begin moving in slow motion. We'd do that for five minutes, and then shop normally for five minutes as if nothing had happened. At exactly 4:25 we would all freeze in place for five minutes. When that was over we would go back to normal and eventually leave the store.

These people are fucking nuts, but I must say that they are certainly clever. Watch this short clip of the "slo-mo Home Depot" ruse. Totally genius - although, had I been one of the random people shopping when this all went down, I would have been dropping all kinds of WTFs!?! That's what you have to love about New Yorkers - they just keep going about thier business.