Black Friday at Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy: Controlling hot deals

All the big retailers have to up their security on November 27, ready for the Black Friday 2009 shopping frenzy. These retailers will now have more control on customers looking to pick up the hottest deals; there will be more staff on the floor as well as longer opening hours.

Wal-Mart are starting their Black Friday deal much earlier this year, in the hope of avoiding the same tragedy that happened last year when one of its security guards sadly lost his life after he was trampled to death by eager shoppers.

Wal-Mart is not the only store to begin controlling these hot deals, Target and Best Buy are also employing the same tactic.

According to a report from USA Today, if deals on Black Friday are not controlled, then we will see a repeat of last year’s incidents, like the shooting on Thanksgiving Day. Retailers have had to respond, not only for the safety of their staff, but for its customers as well.

Joe LaRocca, an advisor from the National Retail Federation has issued a number of crowd control suggestions to members in the run up to Black Friday, it is those stores with doorbuster deals that are most at risk.

LaRocca suggested that retailers hand out tickets or wristbands to those eligible for the doorbuster deals; these would normally for a certain number of shoppers in the queue.

For more details on this, visit USA Today