NEWARK, Del., Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Shoppers who attack their holiday shopping plans as if planning for D-day are the shoppers most likely to be the shopping "misbehavers," U.S. researchers say.
Sharron Lennon of the University of Delaware and colleagues have been spending observing and surveying shoppers.
"If people put a lot of effort into their black Friday shopping, those were the people who were likely to be the misbehavers on Black Friday," Lennon says in a statement.
Shoppers who put a lot of effort into coupon clipping and do extensive strategizing about which stores they will visit and when for advertised items are the ones most likely to get out of line when their expectations are out not in sync with reality, Lennon says.
For example, if a shopper expects to get the deeply discounted laptop computer or television that has been advertised, lines up in the cold before the store opens only to find the store has just a handful in stock, he or she might get angry and disorderly, Lennon explains.
Lennon and colleagues focus their solutions at retailers, not consumers, because while shoppers can regulate their own behaviors, they cannot control the behaviors of others, the number of registers open or the length of lines.
They suggest retailers:
-- Hand out tickets for items with limited quantities.
-- Eliminate coupons for Black Friday.
-- Post a sign at the front of items that have sold out.
-- Announce unexpected bargains, similar to Kmart's "blue light specials."
