Stores say they are ready for Black Friday

Security Holiday More security perks while standing in line even changing parking lot lightbulbs to keep shoppers safe.

by Bill Riales

Published: Tue, November 24, 2009 - 9:07 pm CST Last Updated: Tue, November 24, 2009 - 9:20 pm CST

MOBILE, Alabama - It's the day diehard shoppers look forward to, but retailers may look forward to Black Friday even more, and they know what to expect.

"It's organized chaos pretty much, we have a lot of people coming into the building," says Jason Hearon of Target on Bel Air Avenue.

Bel Air Mall Manager Tim Nolan also knows what will happen. "At 6am the mall will be jammed packed. Probably by 10 o'clock the parking lot will feel mostly full although there will still be several hundred parking spaces left."

Many stores have already advertised the specials they're offering, or they've been leaked on the internet. Retailers seem to have a knack for choosing the items you and everyone else really want. But with the expected huge crowds security is also on their minds.

"We have several security vehicles that patrol the parking lot, we have interior and exterior security patrols," says Nolan.

Over at Target, they believe their responsibility to customers begins as they start lining up at the door.

"We're going to have a couple team members out front handing out some maps of the store, kind of gives an idea of where certain things in the store are located," says Jason Hearon.

The mall is even changing light bulbs to make sure the parking lot stays lit well. And they will offer rides to customers' cars and provide an escort to the parking lot if customers want one.

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