Photo courtesy Security Consulting Strategies LLC

Curtis Baillie, CSC, shares his tips on what retailers can do to minimize security and safety risks at "Black Friday" door-buster sales.

Another “Black Friday” retail sales event has come and gone. Again, this year there were reports of customer injuries, and at least one reported fatality due directly to the reported failure of retailers to take proper precautions. Injuries to customers happen every year. There has been enough history to put retailers on notice that they have a “duty” to protect their invited guests.

Retailers spend huge dollar amounts advertising the events, trying to draw as many customers to their stores. Once the customers have arrived, many do not know how to control the crowds waiting to ascend the store. Here are some tips on crowd control for those special event sales:

• Spend time planning for the event well in advance. Find out what the history of major sale events is for your sales area.

• Train your employees. If you are expecting a large crowd, invest in some simple crowd control management for key members of management and loss prevention staff.

• Hire uniformed security officers who specialize in event crowd management. Hire off-duty police officers to patrol the interior of the store and the parking lot. This may cost some dollars upfront, but could save major dollars down the road if something goes wrong.

• If you employ a loss prevention staff, make sure they know what their job function is during a major event sale. The focus should not be catching shoplifters, but concentrating on safety and crowd control issues.

• Notify the local police in advance of an event sale. This gives them the option to increase their manpower and patrols.