Nov 19, 2009 8:54 pm US/Eastern
Retailers Take Steps To Make Holiday Shopping Safe
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
Crowded stores for Black Friday bargains and deals can make for dangerous holiday shopping.
Next week, there will be tighter security at stores to handle the big crowds.
The changes come one year after an employee was tramped to death at a New York Wal-Mart during a Black Friday sale.
This year, OSHA has come out with safety guidelines for retailers.
- Have trained security or police on hand
- Prepare for overcrowding & violent acts
- Designate emergency responder contract
- Set up barricades away from the entrance
"I think it's good retailers are given guidance on how to deal with this. It's a relatively new phenomenon," said Jon Hurst, of the Mass. Retailers Association.
Target in Watertown is opening their doors to shoppers at 5 a.m. on Black Friday, but they will only open one entrance for safety reasons.
"We don't want to have unruly or unorganized crowds come through the door," said Glenn Straughn, of Target. "We make it clear to everyone in line that we have plenty of stock."
Target plans months in advance for Black Friday.
Hurst told WBZ that there is actually a significant effort this year to get consumers into stores before Black Friday, by having big sales beforehand.
Scared of shopping on Black Friday? Leave your thoughts on our DYC blog.
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