Stress plus deadline equals very angry shoppers

Stores taking measures to calm people down and protect their employees

Frank Franklin Ii / AP

As stressed-out shoppers enter the final Christmas crush, they're getting edgier. A recent study by ComPsych Corp., a provider of employee assistance programs, has seen a marked increase in the number of acute-stress counseling sessions it provides to retailers related to customer abuse.

updated 11:10 p.m. ET Dec. 20, 2006

NEW YORK - ’Tis the season to be ... angry?

The countdown to Christmas has dwindled to the single digits: As the mall crowds have worsened, so has the stress on shoppers faced with a creeping deadline to buy gifts — and they’re increasingly taking that stress out on salespeople.

Now merchants from toy sellers to electronics chains have buckled down to deal with irate shoppers. Their strategies vary but the goal is generally the same: to keep customers happy (and from wrestling each other in the aisles) and employees safe.

Story continues below ↓

“We’ve all done it: I know I’ve lost my temper, and everyone else has probably done it,” said Ernest Speranza, chief marketing officer of KB Toys. “At this time of year, people start out with all the best intentions. They’re busy buying toys for a young child. They’re happy about doing that. Then they get caught up in the frenzy ... and a nice experience now starts to spiral out of control.”

With shoppers procrastinating even more this year than last year, according to reports, retailers are bracing for an even bigger rush this weekend — and doing what they can to manage the mad multitudes. Stores have beefed up security and coached their employees in anger management. They’re taking the hottest items off the shelves to avoid fights in the aisles. While retailers are reluctant to say how much they’re spending to manage the mayhem, they do say the measures are worth it to keep their customers happy, employees sane and stores safe during the busiest time of the year.

Shoppers have become angrier, suggests a recent study by ComPsych Corp., a provider of employee assistance programs. This year, ComPsych has seen a marked increase in the number of acute-stress counseling sessions it provides to retailers related to customer abuse. The number rose 13 percent in 2006 following a 65 percent jump last year.

“During the holiday season, (retailers) bring on people who are less familiar with where products are, how stores operate,” said Richard A. Chaifetz, chairman and chief executive of ComPsych. “Shoppers are agitated. Put those together and you create a combustible environment.”