Holiday '09: Black Friday shoppers fit two 'types' according to University of Michigan researcher

Compared to grocery shopping, Black Friday shopping usually involves: • More shopping destinations. • More expensive goods. • Higher levels of involvement. • A more visible group effort. • Greater time pressure. • More limited availability of desired goods. Source: Professor David Wooten, University of Michigan

Musts for retailers on Black Friday • Advertise "deals" in advance. • Adequate staffing. • Efficient layouts. • Reputation for speedy service. Source: Professor David Wooten, University of Michigan

Spectators like being close to the action.

But the Black Friday intensity comes from the competitors, who are strategic and aggressive about that day’s shopping, said David Wooten, marketing professor at the Ross School of Business.

They’re the ones who create the frenzy around what is touted as the kickoff to the holiday shopping season, which in 2008 resulted in 74 million people shopping at U.S. stores on the single day.

It’s a situation that, thanks to the competition for the limited number of best buys, can get chaotic. And even dangerous.

“The way I think about it is that it’s almost like viewing a reality show,” Wooten said.

The research was done with Robert Harrison of Western Michigan University, involving interviews with retail managers and more than 200 families.

The pair got an understanding of what drives the competitive shoppers - like strategizing and winning.

Few of their interview subjects admitted to bad behavior, Wooten said.

But many did say they’d witnessed some element of shoving, yelling or wrestling over merchandise. Or cutting into lines, taking items from someone else’s cart, or simply trying in any way possible to get an advantage.

Apparently it was always “someone else” doing it.

And neither competitor nor spectator considers how those behaviors could escalate to be a problem, at least on Black Friday.

“For some people it seemed like a game,” Wooten said. “Others wanted to participate. In some sense, they’re even hoping for violence same way as fans who go to hockey game.”

As their designation suggests, competitors aren’t in the stores to browse.

“They’re there to get in and get out,” Wooten said.

And some will admit to ditching a companion if that person shows signs of deviating from the plan. In one case, it was a subject who brought an aunt along for the first time.

“They left her behind because she was slowing them down,” Wooten said.

Specators can have their place, though, Wooten said: “To hold a place in line.”

Meanwhile, the roles of retailers in the Black Friday frenzy “are something we’re grappling with,” Wooten said.

They obviously benefit when that many shoppers enter a store.

“But they make it sound as thought they’re powerless … and the rules are being dictated by consumers,” Wooten said. “… The deep discounts are what largely influence people to participate.

“At the same time, they make it sound like they have to play by the rules or they won’t have any customers.”

Harrison started the research project four years ago, and over time approached Wooten with details when he’d visit him in Ann Arbor.

Eventually, Wooten became a co-collaborator.

Along the way, he’s learned more about Black Friday than he’d ever considered possible when he was a nonparticipant.

“I knew people went out there and shopped,” he said. “But I never knew it was quite the frenzied activity.”