Flash Sale

Background:

The tradition of massive flash sales at “brick and mortar” retail stores is spreading around the world. Originally these big sales were scheduled in the United States to target consumers at the start of a holiday season and on a day they did not go to work (e.g. Black Friday sales). Now, nearly 20 different countries have some form of flash retail sales in attempts to have consumers shop locally and not go online to purchase products.

During these flash sales, stores advertise huge discounts on sale items, along with expanded operating hours (usually opening very early in the morning), to attract customers hoping these customers will buy more than just the discounted products.

At the start of these sales, numerous eager shoppers gather at the store entrance to rush in at the store’s opening, grab their desired item(s), run to a cashier to quickly make their purchases, and then leave to perhaps travel to another store for more deals. In the process, the over-agitated shoppers are likely to stampede and create “human traffic jams,” sometimes hurting each other and damaging the surrounding goods. Additionally, some shoppers may not get an item they want due to the item being sold out when they arrive at the item’s location in the store.