Retail Crowd Safety

When a person considers a dangerous environment, a retail location is not usually at the top of the list. Unfortunately the busy holiday shopping season has led to heated arguments, injuries, and even death. Employers have a responsibility to do everything in their power to keep their employees and customers safe. While there should always be a crowd management plan, there must also be special considerations for the holiday season. Read on for some tips from us when it comes to crowd control.

·         Hire extra staff for the holiday season. This is something that many retailers already do to keep up with the increase in sales. In addition, be sure there is enough staff for each specific department. This includes staff that works the registers, fitting rooms, stocking, and much more.

·         Make sure to have an emergency plan in place for your workers to follow. This applies to any dangers your workers may face including fire, crowd crushing, violent store acts, and overcrowding. Make sure each employee understands what to do in each situation.

·         When your store is having a major sale be sure to have crowd control barriers in place. This may include barricades for forming store lines and barricades in certain store aisles to prevent overcrowding. This includes having the proper signage. Signs should clearly indicate information to customers in line, provide a clear path to exits, and explain sales.

·         Have plans in place for winter safety. This includes many different things. Have an inclement weather plan in place in case a store location must be shut down. Even if your location stays open it is likely many employees will call in. You must also be sure to keep parking lots plowed and sidewalks shoveled and salted. Eliminate any hazard to your employees and customers.

·         Focus extra attention on the days that are projected to be the busiest. This allows you to add extra staff and security. The projected busiest shopping days this month according to Shoppertrak are as follows: December 5^th, 12^th, 13^th, 19^th, 20^th, 21^st, and 26^th.

·         Spend extra time on the normal safety precautions that go into managing a store and train your employees to do so as well. Remind employees to always pick up items off the floor to avoid tripping hazards. Clothing racks must be watched, as customers can easily ram into racks that are bare of merchandise and injure themselves. Spills should be cleaned up promptly.

These tips can help you avoid making headlines this holiday season for all the wrong reasons. In a retail environment it is of course a priority to make sales, but keeping employees and customers safe must be your highest priority. 

Black Friday Tips

Black Friday is just over a week away. Are you planning on braving the crowds to get some holiday deals? Well there’s a few things you should keep in mind before you go.

One:  Check out the ads before you shop. You can find some of them online already. Now is the time to compare prices and find out where the best deals are. Once you’ve found them, have a list of the stores you want to hit and the items you want to buy.

Two: Have a plan in place before you want to leave to shop. Know which stores you want to check out, and place them in an order. Some stores open Thanksgiving for a limited time before closing, some open Thanksgiving and stay open overnight, and some don’t open until Black Friday. Knowing store hours and doorbuster schedules is important to scoring the best deals.

Three: Check online sales before you go shopping. It’s possible that retail locations are offering the same deals, or even better, online. If the items you want are a better price online you can do all your shopping from home and avoid the crowds.

Four: If possible, avoid waiting in line for a store to open. Store openings have cause injuries and even deaths on Black Friday due to unruly customers trying to get to their sales. An easy way to avoid this is to start shopping several hours after stores have already opened. Besides, this means you can relax at home and finish up dinner instead of standing in a long line!  

Five: When you are physically in the store, be aware of your surroundings. It is often possible to notice if a situation is going to escalate. Watch for individual shoppers that are particularly loud, disruptive, angry, and rushed. One of these shoppers can spur on others. If you notice a disturbance in an area of a store starting, remove yourself from the situation and alert store staff or security.

Six: Practice car safety while driving and parking. It’s not worth the risk to race another car for a parking spot or to get through a yellow light. Actions like these are what lead to accidents. Keep in mind that while you are in parking lots, there will be a great deal of vehicle and pedestrian traffic. If you are driving always yield to pedestrians and vehicles. If you are a pedestrian do not trust cars to stop for you. Always be aware of what is happening around you.

Seven: Keep a close eye on your possessions while you shop. Black Friday is very crowded, and it makes it a prime time for thieves to try and steal your money, purchases, and even your identity. Carry a purse that zips to keep hands away from your wallet. Always keep your items you’ve purchased out of sight in your car. At the register, make sure no one near you is in a position to view your credit or debit card details.

Black Friday has become a tradition here in America, but never forget the risks involved when there are large crowds in small areas. Keep safe out there! 

Holiday Crowds

Christmas is only a week away, which means that the shopping crowds are likely to grow as people try to get their last minute gifts. While this is great for business, it is not so great for people who hate crowds. Today we’re going to offer our advice for beating the crowds, or how to endure them if you can't avoid them.

Shop on Less Busy Days

With so few days left until Christmas this can be difficult to implement. The weekend before Christmas is a very busy time for malls. Christmas Eve is another day to avoid, and even December 23^rd has a history of being busy. If you can manage it the best day to shop to avoid the crowds would be Monday, December 22^nd. Shop during the week while most people are busy at work to get holiday shopping done without the crowds.

Shop Small Businesses

Small, local businesses are generally not nearly as busy as malls and department stores. Not only will this help you avoid the crowds, this will help support the local community and allow you to purchase a less commercial gift for your loved ones. Maybe you know of some already, or maybe you need to do some research. Either way, a local business is a great way to avoid being packed in with hundreds or thousands of other shoppers.

Shop Online

This close to Christmas getting your gifts in time is going to cost you. To some people however, it is worth it to avoid the crowds. Don’t wait much longer though! In 2013 many people waited until the last minute, and shipping companies did not have the resources or time to get everyone their packages. If you want to buy online, do it now.

Shop the Mall Early, or Late

Stores will be less busy in the early hours of the morning as well as closer to closing time. The biggest crowds will materialize in the middle of the day, roughly between 10:00 AM and 7:00 PM. This gives you a limited shopping window, but if you just need a couple last minute items this is a good strategy.

Shop with Acceptance

If none of the above options work for you, it may be time to accept that you are going to have to deal with the crowds. Approach this with acceptance and a good attitude. No one likes waiting in long lines and fighting through people to find the items they want. Be polite as you do your shopping and schedule a little extra time into your day than you may normally to account for the crowds.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year from all of us to you. Here is to the start of a great 2015!