Shoppers Face Safety Risks While Searching For Black Friday Deals

While shoppers keep an eye out for the best money-saving deals on the biggest shopping event of the year, they might have to use their other eye to look out for their safety.

Shoppers face the risk of being trampled from other shoppers, assaulted over an item on sale, pepper-sprayed in the face by officers, or even stabbed.

Just last year, there were 14 Black Friday related injuries and one death, according to Black Friday Death Count.

This website lists all of the reported injuries and deaths that have occurred on Black Friday.

In 2013, one shopper was pepper sprayed in the face and charged with disorderly conduct in a New Jersey Walmart, NBC New York reported.

Aggressive Walmart shoppers also sent an 11-year-old girl in Ohio to the hospital last year, according to the Norwalk Reflector.

Additionally, the Gaston Gazette reported one teen died and four others were taken to the hospital in 2013 in North Carolina when the driver fell asleep at the wheel and crashed the car while driving home from Black Friday shopping.

In 2012, there were nine injuries and two deaths on Black Friday. In 2011, Black Friday Death Count reported 46 injuries and one death.

The added risk of possible deaths and injuries on Black Friday has led to increased security and patrols at participating Black Friday stores including Walmart and Best Buy.

Customers spend all night waiting on lines at these stores to land the best deals for items on sale. To handle these crowds, Walmart and Best Buy have organized in-depth Black Friday preparation to ensure that their customers have an enjoyable shopping experience.

Best Buy gives customers waiting outside of the store on Black Friday a ticket which guarantees them an item. “It’s a sigh of relief because the customers know they are going to get it,” said Roxanne Hinger, Best Buy store manager, 700 Providence Highway, in Dedham.

“It’s not a free-for-all and that allows customers to enjoy the process,” she said. “We don’t just open the doors and have people flood in.”

The store lets in about 25 people at at time. “If you just open the doors and you don’t help people, that’s when it gets crazy,” she said.

“Customers don’t have to be stressed out,” Hinger said. “There are so many different choices for holiday gifts that customers leave happy.”

Walmart spokesperson Betsy Harden urges people to shop responsibly. “I would encourage folks to be safe and take their time as they go throughout the store,” she said.

“Safety of our customers and our associates on Black Friday is a top priority of us,” Harden said.

Walmart works with nationally recognized crowd control experts on Black Friday and spreads out all of their popular items and deals throughout the store to avoid big crowds. “You might see a television in the freezer aisle,” Harden said.

Shoppers also risk becoming victims of credit card theft and online shopping scams just as much as having their wallet stolen in a crowded shopping center on Black Friday, according to an Info SSL article.

To stay safe, the SSL article recommends shoppers use cash, pre-paid credit or debit cards, virtual payments, and make sure the browser address includes HTTPS before making an online payment.

What kind of safety precautions do you take while Black Friday Shopping?

Have you ever witness or been a victim of a Black Friday Crime?

Do you think crimes and violence on Black Friday is a serious issue?

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