Safety First on Black Friday

Some might say, what’s Black Friday without the sweaty anticipation, the pre-dawn wake-up, the stampeding crowds? We say, how about tolerable?

Many can’t wait for the excitement of the day after Thanksgiving, the busiest shopping day of the year when retailers pull out all the stops — and by that we mean coupons — in order to entice consumers to spend, spend, spend. But last year, the tradition was marred by tragedy when a Wal-mart employee was trampled to death by an overeager crowd rushing in for half-priced flat screens and computers.

That’s why, the New York Times reports, this year, Wal-mart isn’t taking any chances. The store has consulted with experts who do crowd control for massive events like the Olympics and the Super Bowl to help them with the expected throng.

The new measures include stores that will open Thanksgiving morning and stay open through Friday night. So if you feel like picking up that Zhu Zhu at 3 a.m., go for it.

The store is also implementing a first-come, first-served policy where customers get served in order of their place in line. This gets rid of that rush to the electronics aisle that’s become local TV B-roll for Black Friday news.

Maybe it takes some of the excitement out of Black Friday, but it also means we can leave our helmets at home this year.

Photo courtesy besighyawn via Flickr.