Keeping Shoppers Safe On Black Friday

So much of the hype surrounding the Black Friday shopping holiday centers around the deals. Whether searching for shoes, electronics, or kitchen items, the sheer number of markdowns is enough to inspire even the deepest turkey commas out of bed early Friday morning to beat the crowds.

From a store owner's perspective, the prospect of large sales should not be the only thing on your mind. With large crowds comes great responsibility. Specifically, store owners should be equally (if not more) concerned with crowd control measures and safety issues as they are with stocking shelves and swiping credit cards. Here are the top two areas to look out for in order to keep shoppers safe on Black Friday:

1. Crowd Control: trampling, cuts, bruises, and other injuries are all possible when the doors open early Friday. Potential ways to handle the sheer volume of people looking to score deals would be to limit the number of people allowed in at one time or to offer all your deals online so that the sales remain high but the numbers are more manageable
2. Keeping the Store Accident Free: As a store owner you may know a thing or two about premises liability and your responsibility to keep your patrons injury free by meeting certain safety standards. The task of complying with these standards may be a little daunting in the rushed holiday season, but that does not change your legal liability in the face of an accident. Hiring extra security and more employees to keep an eye of the premises is an investment that will pay off.

Shopping injuries, especially during peak times, is not only bad for business but it can also result in a hefty lawsuit depending on the nature and circumstances of the accident. Being over-prepared for bargain-hungry customers is the only way to approach the hectic season.

Related Resources:

• Shopping Injuries (FindLaw)
• Negligence (FindLaw)
• WalMart Agrees To Crowd Control Measures After Trampling Death (FindLaw's Injured)