by Denise Massie
Walmart shoppers will encounter several changes this holiday shopping season, especially when it comes to Black Friday.
One of the major changes is to keep all Walmart stores open 24 hours for the Black Friday crowd.
Even though the Logansport Walmart location already remains open 24 hours, store manager Bobby Rodgers said shoppers can still expect changes.
“We are going to have some of the hot items like televisions, computers and cameras,” he said. “But instead of a mad rush, there will be lines set up, like in Disney World. There should be a lot more communication with the customers in the store.”
In the past, Rodgers said, customers had to wait outside until doors opened and would run through the store to find the sale item they were looking for.
The local manager added that during the day of the sale, associates will inform shoppers how many items the store has. If the store has 20 items, the 20th person in line should be guaranteed the item, as long as he or she doesn’t leave the line.
“In my opinion, it will make it more customer friendly,” he said. “They won’t have to wait out in the cold, rain or snow. It should be very organized.”
The changes came about after a new employee was trampled to death in a Black Friday rush last year at a store in New York.
Something Walmart is also doing differently are its pre-Thanksgiving sales.
Wal-Mart has held several Saturday sales to attract shoppers earlier. Rodgers said another Saturday sale had been scheduled today.
Rodgers believes the early sales will help some when it comes to Black Friday.
“I would assume some customers have already purchased the Christmas items they wanted on past Saturdays, but I also assume we will have a big crowd come this Friday,” he said.
For those who are planning to brave the crowds the day after Thanksgiving, Rodgers offers some words of advice.
“Just be patient,” he said. “It is first-come, first-served. ... If you wait in a friendly and calm matter, everything will work out well.”
• Denise Massie is a staff writer at the Pharos-Tribune. She can be reached at 574-732-5151 or denise.massie@pharostribune.com
