Best Buy Manager Prepares for Day of 'Controlled Chaos'

Seated amid enough charts, diagrams and planning documents to please a military tactician, Scott Sanderson is preparing for battle.

Every fall, for each of the past 14 years, he's fought the good fight. This year, since September, he has been carefully strategizing alongside his team of experts.

He's not necessarily frightened—he actually seems a little excited about managing the "controlled chaos" guaranteed to swarm his workplace in a few days.

"I actually just read a book about the history of Black Friday," he said.

If it didn't already exist, perhaps Sanderson could have written it. As he goes over plans for the busiest shopping day of the year at the Edina —where he's the general manager—it's clear a lot of thought has gone into how eager shoppers will purchase their merchandise.

It wouldn't be out of line to call Sanderson a  general.

"Because of our size, we have to be really strategic in how we run folks through the line and how we queue everything, because obviously we have capacity limits," Sanderson said. "Having done it for 14 years now, I think we've gotten pretty good at it."

Turning Back the Clock

Best Buy is one of a handful of big-box retailers pushing Black Friday back several hours, bumping its traditional 5 a.m. open all the way up to midnight. Target and Wal-Mart stores across the country are doing the same.

Company officials produced a written statement defending the early opening: "We know this decision changes Thanksgiving plans for some of our employees, and we empathize with those who are affected. Our people play a critical role in delivering an amazing Black Friday experience for customers, including incredible doorbuster deals."

Sanderson said he's heard a lot of chatter about the change, but for the most part it has been positive.

"People are happy because they don't have to get up at 3 or 4 in the morning anymore," he said. "There's a better chance to get in line, and to get a little better spot in line."

Whereas the last few years have seen heavy traffic in the first two hours of the day, followed by a lull until 10 or 11 a.m., Sanderson said it's impossible to anticipate customer behavior under the new, earlier start.

"I'm sure it'll be busier at midnight, but then the question is if it will drop of at 3, 4 or 5 a.m.," he said. "Does it stay high momentum throughout or will we have a significant lull in the business at some point?"

So does he see a day when Black Friday actually starts earlier than Friday itself?

"With the way it keeps going, I wouldn't be shocked," he said.

Ramping Up to Holiday Shopping

Considering the diminutive size of the Edina store, Sanderson said it's a common mindset that nobody really goes there for Black Friday deals. That misconception, he said, leads to long lines for the launch of the holiday season.

"Since I've been here, we typically see between 300 and 400 people lined up," he said. "Thankfully, we still get large quantities just like the bigger stores."

He may know exactly how to prepare his staff to deal with Black Friday, but Sanderson admits he's never actually been on the other side of the mad rush for bargains.

"I've always worked," he said, laughing. "The whole week is pretty busy and I guess I've just never had any time before or after to do any."