At first it might seem as if the town of Dartmouth, Massachusetts has caught a case of the Grinch’s sprit by restricting stores on the day after Thanksgiving, one of the biggest shopping days of the year. There was little opposition to the Article 18 Section 8 that states:
“For the purpose of controlling noise and ensuring public order and safety, no business entity, whether individual, partnership or corporation, for which a substantial portion of its revenue stems from the sale of retail commodities or goods, exclusive of food or fuel products, may operate between the hours of twelve anti-meridian and four anti-meridian.”
Their Black Friday precedents however are not aimed at squashing consumers’ holiday shopping options but in fact look to keep consumers from getting squashed at all.
Prompted to take action after many shopping injuries and at least one fatality in a Long Island, Walmart, Dartmouth wants to keep its town safe for early bird shoppers. At the meeting Dartmouth Police chief Timothy M. Lee told attendees, "We're not looking to interfere with business." Safety is the primary objective.
Businessed who would like to operate during the wee hours of the morning are not prohibited from doing so but if they intend to do so they will need to follow the proper procedures. This includes applying for a waiver indicating when they will be open and detailing a specific safety plan for review. Businesses will also be required to employ off duty police officers for security at their own expense. Food, fuel, and drug stores are waived but others must begin the process not later than 60 days in advance and full payment for security service is required 15 days prior.
Companies that don’t comply are looking at some pretty hefty fines. They will be charged $100 per minute for every minute for the first 30 minutes they are open during the 4 restricted hours. If they surpass 30 minutes in that time frame they will be charged $200 per minute they are open for the next 30 minutes. After that first costly hour of operation it will increase to a fine of $300 a minute. So if a business operated all four hours without the proper paperwork in place they would incur $63,000 in fines.
The policy has been approved by the town and is under review by the state. It will go into effect next year but officials are hoping that businesses will voluntarily comply for the 2010 season. They also anticipate others to follow their lead and help make shopping safer for customers and employees.
Check out retailgigs.com for an extensive resource on job opportunities, career seeking solutions, and career advancement tips.
By Heather Fairchild - Heather is a multimedia developer, business owner and work-from-home mom.
Become a member to take advantage of more features, like commenting and voting.
Register or sign in today!