Walmart readies for Black Friday

It has been almost a year since Jdimytai Damour was fatally trampled by a crowd of customers who stormed an entrance to the Valley Stream Walmart on Nov. 28. Officials from the world’s largest retailer — under the terms of an agreement made with the county’s district attorney — say they have now implemented a crowd and flow management plan at its 92 stores statewide to ensure the safety of its customers and employees.

According to Walmart representatives, the plan addresses issues related to customer approach and entry into the store; customer flow through the store; and flow through the checkout aisles and away from the store. Most Walmart stores will be open for 24 hours for post-Thanksgiving events.

“This plan is intended to supplement existing safety measures and will enhance the movement of our customers in and out of the store in an even safer and more efficient manner,” said Hank Mullany, president of Walmart’s Northeast Division.

Mullany said the crowd management plan was developed by a team of experts whose experience includes NFL Super Bowls, the Olympic Games, concerts and national political conventions.

Meg Reiss, executive assistant district attorney for the investigations division of the county D.A.’s office, said that all 92 of Walmart’s New York state stores were evaluated and put into three risk tiers, which dictated what crowd control measures were mandatory or optional for every store. To determine which tier each store fit — Tier 1 representing the most risk — store managers completed a survey detailing the number of transactions per hour, store-opening times, and the hours with the highest volume of sales. “Once the risk tiers are approved, an independent operation plan relevant to the store is established,” Reiss said. “Then it has to be approved by the monitor.”

Reiss said that as part of the settlement, Walmart’s crowd management plan had to be approved by an independent monitor. KROLL, a New York-based risk consultant company, was hired as the monitor. The Valley Stream Walmart is designated a Tier 1 store.