The holiday season is a time of celebration, but for many shoppers, it can also become a dangerous experience. Packed retail stores, limited staff, and frenzied crowds often create a perfect storm where customer safety is overlooked. When businesses fail to implement proper security measures during peak shopping, the results can be catastrophic—from slip-and-fall accidents and trampling incidents to assaults and theft.
At Carpenter & Zuckerman, we’ve seen how inadequate store security and poor planning during the holidays can put people at risk. If you’ve been injured while shopping and believe negligence played a role, it’s important to understand your rights.
How Retail Stores Put Shoppers at Risk During the Holidays
Big-box stores, shopping malls, and even smaller retailers experience a dramatic increase in foot traffic between November and January. Black Friday, Christmas sales, and year-end clearance events attract large crowds—but many businesses fail to scale their safety protocols accordingly.
Here are some common ways stores may neglect shopper safety during the holiday rush:
Insufficient Security Staffing
With more people entering stores, more security personnel are often needed to monitor activity, de-escalate tense situations, and respond to emergencies. Retailers that fail to increase staffing levels put both shoppers and employees at risk.
Poor Crowd Control
Stores that allow too many customers inside at once—or fail to manage long lines outside—can create dangerous overcrowding. This can lead to trampling, pushing, and falls, especially during significant sales.
Lack of Surveillance or Lighting
Parking lots and store entrances should be well-lit and monitored with cameras, especially after dark. Failing to provide these basic security measures can lead to preventable assaults, thefts, and accidents.
Neglected Maintenance
Wet floors, broken handrails, icy walkways, and cluttered aisles can easily cause slip-and-fall injuries. During the holiday season, stores must be extra vigilant about keeping walking surfaces safe and clear.
Failure to Address Prior Incidents
If a store has a history of fights, thefts, or safety complaints and does nothing to prevent future incidents, it may be held liable if someone gets hurt.
These aren’t just oversights—they’re breaches of a business’s legal duty to maintain a reasonably safe environment for its customers.
When Is a Store Liable for Injuries?
Under California premises liability law, property owners—including retail stores and malls—are responsible for keeping their premises safe and taking reasonable steps to prevent foreseeable harm. This includes providing adequate security and addressing any hazards they knew or should have known about.
To bring a successful injury claim against a store, an injured shopper typically must prove:
- The store owed them a duty of care (as a customer).
- The store breached that duty by failing to take reasonable precautions.
- That breach caused the injury.
- The injury resulted in damages, such as medical bills, lost wages, or pain and suffering.
For example, suppose a shopper is injured during a chaotic Black Friday entrance rush and the store has no staff to control the crowd or monitor the entrance. In that case, the business may be liable for failing to implement reasonable safety measures.
What You Should Do If You’re Injured in a Store
If you or a loved one was injured in a store during the holidays, there are steps you should take right away:
- Report the incident to store management and request a written report.
- Get medical attention and document all injuries.
- Take photos or videos of the scene if possible.
- Collect names and contact information of witnesses.
- Contact an experienced premises liability attorney to evaluate your case.
Seattle Premises Liability Lawyers
At Carpenter & Zuckerman, we understand how easily a routine holiday shopping trip can turn into a life-changing injury when businesses cut corners on safety. You shouldn’t have to bear the costs of a preventable accident caused by poor security or crowd management.
Contact us today for a free consultation at (425) 585-4009. Our legal team will listen to your story, investigate the incident, and help you pursue the compensation you deserve. You don’t pay unless we win. Let us help you take the first step toward justice.