While Black Friday is a great day to get amazing deals on all the items you want to give your loved ones for the holidays, it can also be a very dangerous day if you are not careful. Black Friday sales tend to bring out the worst in customers who are all looking to log big savings on popular items. However, no sale is worth suffering physical injuries over, and yet, year after year, many shoppers are hurt in the mad rush that is the day after Thanksgiving. Many people choose to avoid shopping on this day, but choose to go out on this major day for retailers, consider these safety tips from SafeTouch Security Systems.
1. Always be alert and aware when you are shopping.
Pay attention to your surroundings, and do not let yourself be distracted by your children, your cell phone, or anything else. If you are in a distracted in a large crowd, you become a prime target for theft. People will not hesitate to steal your wallet right out of your pocket or purse. Never carry a large amount of cash on you on Black Friday. Do your shopping armed with credit and/or debit cards so that you are less likely to be targeted by pick pockets.
2. Never leave your purse unattended in your shopping cart or basket.
It is not even a good idea to walk away from your cart if you can help it, because while you have your back turned, someone may either snatch items out of your cart or walk off with your entire cart as if it was theirs. You will want to secure your purse to your body and carry as little in it as possible. If you have a tight grip on your purse, someone is less likely to be able to snatch it from you.
3. Be wary of retailers who promise special coupons or gift cards to a select number of customers who enter the store upon its opening.
This can lead to protests, fights, and stampedes. Also, if you were thinking about parking out in front of a store and waiting for it to open, think twice. In crowds, people have been trampled and severely hurt or even killed when those doors are opened for business.
4. If you are going shopping with other people, such as your family or friends, make sure everyone has access to a cell phone so that you can find each other if you get separated.
It is also a good idea for each person in your party to wear brightly colored clothing that will make it easy to spot them in a crowd. This is especially important if you will be shopping with children. Advise your children that if they get separated from you, they should go straight to a store employee or even a security guard or police officer.
5. You will also want to stay safe on the road when you are traveling to and from stores.
Black Friday tends to make people careless about their driving, as well as impatient and irritable. Drive carefully if you plan to go out in Black Friday traffic and avoid road rage.
Black Friday can be a very productive shopping day if you take steps to make sure you are safe and are not risking injury.
Happy Shopping and Happy Holidays from SafeTouch Security Systems!