Frugal Café Blog Zone

Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on November 17, 2009

Christmas shoppers braving the cold on Black Friday at Wal-Mart

‘Tis the season… Not too much longer until Wal-Mart’s Black Friday ad is released for early, frugally minded (and cash-strapped) Christmas shoppers. And Black Friday shopper hours will be extended, starting at midnight, as a safety precaution for shoppers.

From The Christian Science Monitor: Black Friday 2009 Wal-Mart ad: Some people know what’s in it:

The Black Friday 2009 Wal-Mart ad is the big daddy of the Christmas sales season.

Everyone from shoppers to competitors wants to find out what hot deals are in it. Some people even know. But they can’t tell you.

When they do, Wal-Mart quickly cracks down. Just ask DVDTalk.com. Last week, after it posted details of the Wal-Mart Black Friday ad, Wal-Mart lawyers sent a “Notice of Violation of Intellectual Property Rights and Demand for Immediate Take-Down.” The company removed the offending post. (But details of the post got picked up by Blu-ray.com.)

“The Wal-Mart ad is out there, but we can’t post it,” says Michael Brim, founder of BFAds.net. Unlike a dwindling number of retailers that might send a cease-and-desist letter after the fact, Wal-Mart issues preemptive ones to warn Black Friday ad sites and deal sites like FatWallet.com and Slickdeals.net not to break the reign of silence.

Such sites might ignore the efforts of smaller retailers to keep their Black Friday ads secret. But “Wal-Mart’s a big fish,” Mr. Brim says. “You have to abide by their rules.”

The preemptive letter says websites can’t publish the Wal-Mart sale until Monday, Nov. 23. But last year, BFAds.net got to publish the deals on the preceding Friday.

From Kaufman Law: Black Friday, great deals or a safety risk?:

Got holiday shopping on your mind?

For many of us, the day after Thanksgiving is the day for great holiday shopping deals. However, there is a dark side. Injuries and even death have resulted from Black Friday crowds at stores like Wal-Mart.

Last year, eleven shoppers were injured and a Wal-Mart employee was trampled to death by shoppers eager for a bargain during tough economic times. Wal-Mart ended up paying almost two million dollars in a premises-liability settlement with the injured parties.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) said the employee death was preventable and held Wal-Mart liable for improper crowd control. Osha determined that the store did not have an appropriate crowd management plan and did not provide employees with the tools and training to manage the expected crowd of shoppers. Wal-Mart was issued a serious citation under OSHA’s general duty clause for exposing workers to the hazard of being crushed by the crowd. Wal-Mart was fined $7,000, the maximum penalty for a serious violation. While retailers have the responsibility to protect their employees, they also are liable for injuries to shoppers.

[...]

Black Friday is also a big day for crime. Here are a few more tips for keeping yourself and your possessions safe.

• Leave your purse at home. Keep your driver’s license, credit cards and cash in separate pockets close to your body. If you must carry a purse, keep it small with a strong strap.
• Shop with a friend. There is safety in numbers.
• Let someone know where you’ll be going. Leave a list at home with the places you plan to shop.
• Carry a cell phone.
• Avoid the ATM. Get your cash in advance if possible. If not, go to a well-lit ATM inside a mall or store.
• Park under the lights and keep your door locked. If you have to be there for the midnight opening, park under the lights, keep your doors locked until the store opens, and bring a friend. A flashlight is also handy.
• Don’t fight. In tough economic times, people can get emotional over a good bargain. But, even the best deal isn’t worth getting hurt over. If someone else really wants that last wonder-toy, let them have it. If they threaten you, call for security.

Stay safe!

From About.com – Coupons/Bargains: Black Friday Hot Trend – Opening at Midnight, Reinventing the Black Friday Wheel:

Every year the kickoff time for Black Friday shopping has been earlier than the year before and this year promises to be the same. Last year a handful of malls broke tradition and decided to have midnight sales as Thanksgiving rolled into Black Friday and because of the success, more malls throughout the country are planning midnight openings this year.

“Retailers are trying to figure out a way to bring back some luster to Black Friday because it has been a disappointment in recent years,” said Jay McIntosh of Ernst & Young. “…Much of retail is about creating an event, and that’s probably what they’re trying to do.”

UPDATE: No word yet on when Wal-Mart’s Black Friday ad will launch… here’s one site’s speculation based on last year:

From Product Reviews Net: Black Friday 2009 Walmart Ad: Expected Release:

Last year was not a good time for Wal-Mart as a company, during their Black Friday 2008 sales, a security guard was trampled to death as shoppers rushed in to grab themselves a bargain. We know that Wal-Mart have taken precautions by opening their stores for longer this year.

The retail giant will now be opening on Thanksgiving, not sure how many shoppers will be out on that day. Looking back, Walmart were one of the last retailers to release their Black Friday Ad. Black Friday was on November 26 last year, and they released their BF Ad on November 25.

Their deals varied from store-to-store, so when the new ad is released always check to see if your local store will have the item that you want. Normally when Walmart launch their Black Friday ad, you just enter your Zip Code, then you will click “View Advertised Values.”

Categories: Business & Economy, Frugal Shopping Info, Holidays and Family, Social and Political Climate
Tags: Black Friday, Black Friday ad, Black Friday sales, Black Friday shopping, Christmas, Christmas season, Happy Thanksgiving, midnight, safety, Thanksgiving, Wal-Mart, Walmart, Xmas