Black Friday saw a frenzied crowd of deal hungry shoppers thronging the World’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) to get best deals.
In a marked departure from tradition, the Bentonville, Arkansas based retailer offered extended hours at most of its non-24 hour stores this year to cater to the heavy rush and especially house post-Thanksgiving shoppers.
Once bitten twice shy
On Black Friday last year, Wal-Mart had witnessed a tragedy when a worker was trampled by a couple of thousand strong shoppers rushed through the doors at opening time. The incident took place at one of the stores in Nassau district.
The company, in collaboration with the Nassau district attorney's office, put up a safety plan for better crowd management this time around.
Nassau police, along with contracted security agents and seasonal store workers flocked the main doors of the Wal-Mart store and kept the shoppers informed about the availability of items that were most likely to be picked up.
The road outside the entry and exit points was barricaded. Shoppers waiting outside were let in only after people inside the store left.
"At this time we are not aware of any injuries or property damage related to Wal-Mart's execution of its crowd management plan for Black Friday," said Eric F. Phillips, the communications director for the district attorney of Nassau County, New York.
Complaints galore
At many of the Wal-Mart stores, shoppers struggled to find parking spots. Not being able to find shopping carts was also a common complaint.
The biggest pain for shoppers was the huge serpentine lines at the checkout counters. Patience was the biggest virtue for these shoppers.
One of the stores in Upland, California had to down shutters as the irate customers got a bit too raucous. "We've heard of a few scuffles among customers, but overall it has been a very safe event," claimed a Wal-Mart spokesman.
The biggest attraction at Wal-Mart was the $298 Hewlett-Packard laptop computers that went on sale as early as 5 a.m.
While the holiday season which kicks off with Black Friday may have a reason to cheer for the retailer, Wal-Mart, like most other players in the industry, has been reeling under a severe crisis in the wake of economic recession.
The company has, in the most recent quarter, reported a slump in sales at its stores open at least a year. The retailer had also warned of slower sales during the vitally significant holiday shopping season.
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