7 Etiquette Rules for Black Friday 2011

Despite (or maybe because of) all the awesome deals out there, Black Friday is a stressful experience for everyone involved. Here's how to do your part to ensure a civilized day at the mall.

Author:: Kerri Fivecoat-Campbell
Publish date:: Nov 25, 2011 7:00 AM EST

Amy Leigh Strickland was just doing her job on Black Friday in 2007 as an electronics sales associate at a big-box store in Nashua, N.H., when she spotted a man climbing up the rack of computer monitors. “I was 6:15 a.m., we had been open for 15 minutes,” Strickland says. “After asking the man to get off the shelf for his own safety, he acknowledged me with eye contact and then reached up and grabbed the handle on the bottom of stack of 32-inch LCD computer monitors on the riser and pulled.” Three 32-inch monitors came crashing down on Strickland’s head, neck and shoulder, causing a concussion, doctor’s visits and a month of physical therapy. “The icing on the cake was that, as I was clutching my head and shoulder, mascara dripping down my face, a middle-aged woman stopped me and wouldn't let me go until I directed her to land-line telephones, which weren't even on sale,” says Strickland. Now that she is out of college and retail, Strickland has vowed never to again step foot in a store on Black Friday. Black Friday brings the power shopper out in everyone, but if we’re to remain a civilized society, shoppers need to remember basic shopping etiquette – for their safety and for that of others. From doing your homework about what sales to expect to waiting in line, dealing with sales associates, and getting out alive, MainStreet talked to etiquette and shopping experts to see what advice they would give shoppers before they embark on that Black Friday (or Thursday night) sale. Photo Credit: Getty Images

Mary Hall, a blogger who writes about savings, advises shoppers to check store circulars and Black Friday websites and make a list. “Do doorbusters first and move on to the rest,” says Hall. She also says a good thing to do is to use your mobile device, check Twitter using the hashtags #blackfriday and #cybermonday, which will help you not only find the best deals, but be more organized, less stressed and hopefully more civil once you get to your destination. Photo Credit: Getty Images

Waiting in line outside of the store is almost as much fun to some shoppers as the shopping itself. Leah Ingram, a shopping etiquette expert in New Hope, Pa., says “Don't be a jerk to the people around you. In other words don't try to weasel to a better position in line, no cutting!” Ingram says. “Don’t ask someone you don't know to hold your spot so you can go shop elsewhere.” Along those same lines, Jodi R.R. Smith, a manners expert, adds, “It is one thing to let one person out to get in line while the other parks. It is another thing altogether when one person is in line at 4:30 a.m. and then 15 of their nearest and dearest friends arrive at 5:55 for a 6 a.m. opening.” Smith says these are some no-nos in line to be aware of too: Smoking, talking loudly on your cellphone or playing loud music are all not acceptable. And if you’re going to get a cup of joe while you wait? “Offer those holding your place a chance for a cup of Joe, too,” Smith says. Photo Credit: Getty Images

“If an associate tries to sell you more than one item, even if you did not ask for it, it is also because they are required to by company policy,” says Caitlin Kelly, author of Malled: My Unintentional Career in Retail. Kelly likes to remind people that salespeople are there to help, and that’s all. “If you don't see what you want, ask if there's more in the stock room, but if they take longer than you like returning, don't wander off because you're tired of waiting. On really busy days especially, the stock room can be pure chaos,” Kelly says. If the store doesn’t have what you want, don’t punish the sales associate or even the manager, Kelly advises. “They did not choose the store's inventory or the amount of goods available.” If you plan on returning when the item is in stock, ask for the associate’s name so they may get credit for assisting you, even if they aren’t on commission. Finally, be courteous, and remember that saying “please” and “thank you” and maybe even offering a warm smile goes a long way for a sales associate who may have been up all night getting the store ready for the onslaught of shoppers. Photo Credit: Getty Images

Arzu Yonak, owner and founder of Socialite Style, advises, “Do not grab and hold onto things you're not really interested in, that other people may specifically be looking for and don’t ask the store to hold items you’re not sure of that others may want.” Photo Credit: Getty Images

Sure, sometimes you need to call home to get advice on a product or gift idea you’re considering, but Yonak reminds shoppers not to talk on cellphones while in a dressing room or with a sales associate – it slows you down and therefore it slows down everyone waiting behind you. Photo Credit: Getty Images

Finally, it would be remiss of us not to talk about money, since the day is really all about shopping. Yonak offers some advice for managing your moment at the cash register. “Remember to tell the sales associates to ring items separately if you're giving them as gifts and need gift receipts for each one,” Yonak says. “Otherwise they'll have to start the transaction all over again.” Finally, Bonnie Rice, a cashier and author offers one last piece of advice. “Honor the advertised limits and not expect the cashier to ring up multiple orders to circumvent them,” Rice says. “If the cashier has to remind you that there is a limit, please don't make a scene at the register. He or she is just doing a job and the limits were advertised with the prices so you don't just look stupid, you look stupid and arrogant and it's not a good combination.” Photo Credit: Getty Images

Stop the Insanity!

Amy Leigh Strickland was just doing her job on Black Friday in 2007 as an electronics sales associate at a big-box store in Nashua, N.H., when she spotted a man climbing up the rack of computer monitors. “I was 6:15 a.m., we had been open for 15 minutes,” Strickland says. “After asking the man to get off the shelf for his own safety, he acknowledged me with eye contact and then reached up and grabbed the handle on the bottom of stack of 32-inch LCD computer monitors on the riser and pulled.” Three 32-inch monitors came crashing down on Strickland’s head, neck and shoulder, causing a concussion, doctor’s visits and a month of physical therapy. “The icing on the cake was that, as I was clutching my head and shoulder, mascara dripping down my face, a middle-aged woman stopped me and wouldn't let me go until I directed her to land-line telephones, which weren't even on sale,” says Strickland. Now that she is out of college and retail, Strickland has vowed never to again step foot in a store on Black Friday. Black Friday brings the power shopper out in everyone, but if we’re to remain a civilized society, shoppers need to remember basic shopping etiquette – for their safety and for that of others. From doing your homework about what sales to expect to waiting in line, dealing with sales associates, and getting out alive, MainStreet talked to etiquette and shopping experts to see what advice they would give shoppers before they embark on that Black Friday (or Thursday night) sale. Photo Credit: Getty Images