Do you know that some retailers don’t begin to turn a profit each year until Black Friday — the day after the nation celebrates Thanksgiving? It’s true. This day dedicated to unabashed consumerism often marks the point in the year where retailers move from indebtedness to solvency due to the crush of holiday shoppers seeking rock-bottom bargains.
Of course, it is impossible for the supply to meet the demands of increasingly aggressive consumers. Some shoppers even try to take the law into their own hands and grapple with other bargain hunters, snatching the merchandise from their arms. In years past, shoppers have been killed and scores more injured in pursuit of the best bargains and lowest prices.
Prime time for shopping-related injuries
All the frenetic activity on this major shopping day increases the chances of your being seriously harmed while shopping for holiday gifts and discounted decorations.
Inclement weather can create puddles of water or cause snow and ice to accumulate on the floor of a retail outlet. During high-volume times, it can take longer than usual for an employee to mop up spills and leaks. These hazards could result in shoppers slipping and suffering neck, back and/or traumatic brain injuries (TBI), as well as sprains and fractures to the limbs.
Stock that tumbles down
With all the jockeying for position and competition to snare the best bargains, tussling shoppers may suffer injuries from fellow consumers in retail outlets. Heavy boxes or display items from high shelves can crash down and cause severe damage to shoppers.
Crushed in the crowd
During prior Black Fridays, people have died in the human stampede when the doors finally open. Even when the injuries are non-lethal, the recovery can be grueling and extensive.
Sometimes, justice must be won
Department stores and other retail outlets have the duty to make sure that their premises are hazard-free and do not present a danger to their customers, vendors or anyone else. If the owner of a business fails to safeguard their premises and someone gets injured due to their negligent (in)actions, the victim(s) can seek civil justice and financial compensation by filing a claim for damages in the New Jersey courts.