Retailers prepare for shoppers

With Black Friday here and the madness setting in, customers nationwide are preparing their battle armor. Yet this year, local retailers seem to have outsmarted the overly aggressive shopper and assure customers no swords or shields will be necessary.
Marianna retail giants Wal-Mart, Lowes and GameStop are switching things up this year to help avoid congestion within the store during sale hours, and eliminate past years’ brawls.
This year, Wal-Mart employees are taking a more organized approach, instead of the former last man standing routine.
Officials of Wal-Mart announced new procedures, beginning this year, for Black Friday big-ticket sales. For each of the major sale items, there will be a corresponding line where customers can pick up a ticket redeemable for the desired item at the register.
Many of these items are in limited supply and stores will only have a certain number of tickets to hand out.
Shoppers will be directed to the line for the item they wish to purchase; Wal-Mart employees will hand out the tickets.
The new system differs from previous years by now handing out the tickets in specified, line as opposed to in the departments where the items are normally located.
Jackson County’s only retail gaming store, GameStop, will be trying a system similar to Wal-Mart’s for the first time this year.
Instead of allowing shoppers to run uncontrollably throughout the store, employees will also be handing out tickets for door-buster items.
With deals on Playstation 3 120 gigabyte and XBox 360 consoles, along with games such as “Call of Duty: World at War” and “Batman Arkham Asylum,” GameStop found it necessary to change past shopping procedures. Employees said the tickets will help with organization and safety for shoppers.
Home improvement retailer Lowes will also be adjusting their Black Friday procedures to accommodate the larger crowds, by honoring purchases made online or over the phone.
This has been done in years past, but this year was Lowes’ first year with widely advertised Black Friday sales available to customers who don’t shop at the store.
As soon as store employees see a purchase completed online, or complete an order over the phone, the item is pulled from the shelf and available for pick-up. The sales begin online or over the phone at the same time as the sales begin in-store. Lowes employees think that this should help with crowd control.