While so many of us are prepping for Black Friday by staking out all the good sales and writing out our shopping lists, facility owners and managers have a much different way of preparing. Increased crowds and heavy foot traffic can wreak havoc on your hardware if you aren’t prepared beforehand. It’s a good idea to get a jumpstart on your hardware maintenance ahead of time so that you can be ready to go when those doors swing open on Thanksgiving night. Here are some tips to get your facility ready for Black Friday.

Black Friday Fix – Look Closer At Your Door Closer

Your door closer controls the swing of the door and helps ensure that the door is always in a secure position. It helps with climate control, and with crowds continually entering and exiting your facility on Black Friday, that’s going to ultimately help keep the cost of your heating bill down. Of course, that’s only if your door closer is working properly. Be sure to check for any sort of leaking fluids as that’s a sure sign of a problem. You also want to make sure that the door is actually opening and closing properly.

Black Friday Fix – Automatic Openers

Have you seen those videos of people stampeding toward a storefront door only to be slammed up against a nice, cool wall of glass when the door doesn’t open? That’s the situation you’re possibly looking at if you have malfunctioning automatic openers. Double check all of your automatic openers to ensure that they’re working properly and without any halting, sticking or delayed reaction. The last thing you want ruining your holiday season is a lawsuit from an injured customer or an ADA violation.

Black Friday Fix – Dragging, Grinding, Sticking

This issue can be a fairly easy fix. If you’re hearing a scraping sound whenever your door opens or closes, there’s a problem. A properly working door will operate smoothly with little to no sound or friction. The same goes for any component of your door hardware that may seem “sticky.” If a locking mechanism won’t release or if the door is being blocked by an obstruction, it’s the sign of a problem.

Black Friday Fix – Restroom Doors

Many people focus strictly on the storefront doors of a facility when they think of heavy crowds. Restrooms, unfortunately, get overlooked when they’re just as important. You don’t want malfunctioning restroom doors on the busiest day of the year! Before the big day, make sure that all restroom doors are locking properly and are operational. This will save both you and the customers from a great deal of frustration later.

The increase in heavy crowds and foot traffic may be a little daunting if this is your first year as a facility manager/owner, but a little preparation goes a long way. If you simply go over the basics, you should be in good shape as Black Friday rolls around!