Is Wal-Mart Really Ready for Black Friday?

The biggest retail holiday of the year is quickly approaching and Wal-Mart has unveiled its plans for the Black Friday sales that will actually start at 8 p.m. on Thursday. This is two hours earlier than the 10 p.m. openings they hosted in 2011 but, fearing a decline in holiday spending this year, the company is motivated to do what it can to bring the bucks in.

Duncan MacNaughton, Wal-Mart's chief merchandising officer, explained that the company’s sales strategy is a response to consumer feedback. "Our customers told us they wanted to shop earlier this year, and go to bed earlier,” he said. Customers also wanted to shop sooner so stores started accepting Layaway reservations in September. According to the Chicago Tribune, that’s a month before the typical launch.

Stock is also a high priority on the list Wal-Mart is checking twice to make sure they have a successful holiday season. "We bought deep, very deep, and we bought deep on items that matter to our customers," MacNaughton said, “I think we have the brands that our customers want." 

For the first time people in the store and in line between 10 and 11 p.m. on Thursday are guaranteed the opportunity to buy the three items Wal-Mart thinks consumers will want most this year:

• Apple iPad2 16GB with Wi-Fi for $399 plus a $75 Wal-Mart gift card
• Emerson® 32" 720p LCD TV for $148
• LG Blu-ray Player for $38

The company feels prepared to handle the holiday most retail employees dread, but maybe they’re getting a little ahead of themselves. Having the goods and the people to purchase them only goes so far when there’s no one to put the products out or process the transactions.

For the past month, Wal-Mart employees have been stepping out on strike at stores across the nation. Mashable reports a total of 28 stores in 12 different states have participated including locations in Oklahoma, Dallas, and Seattle.

Union-backed groups are helping to guid and support the striking workers. The groups include Making Change at Wal-Mart and The Organization United for Respect at Wal-Mart who claim it is “OUR Wal-Mart for short. We, the hourly Associates, are the life-blood of Wal-Mart and we’re coming together to win respect on the job.”

Wal-Mart employees have complaints about working conditions as well as safety concerns. They also claim that the company has retaliated against employees who have tried to speak out or organize others, which is a violation of the National Labor Relations Act. Positions have been terminated, departments have been eliminated and entire stores have been shut down as an attempt to stop Wal-Mart workers from unionizing.

Now the scorned staff says they’ve had enough. Hoping to hit Wal-Mart where it hurts – the wallet – organizers are attempting to set up a nationwide walkout on Black Friday 2012. It’s yet to be seen if the company is truly prepared to test the will of its workers. Will they back down for fear of losing their jobs or will piles of iPads, TVs, and Blu Ray Players sit stuck on trucks as customers line up outside of locked doors with no one there to open them?

Image courtesy of Grant Cochrane at FreeDigitalPhotos