Every December, I see a sharp increase in retail injury cases—and after decades working as an Expert Retail Witness, the pattern is unmistakable. The combination of holiday crowds, rushed employees, seasonal displays, and temporary fixtures creates a perfect storm of hazards.
Stores often roll out new layouts, stack merchandise higher, add gift towers, and bring in promotional tables that were never part of the original floor plan. These quick changes frequently ignore safe sightlines, ADA requirements, and proper fixture stability.
Here’s what I see most often during December inspections:
- Improperly secured holiday displays that can tip or collapse
- Overfilled bins and shelves, creating overhead fall hazards
- Temporary fixtures without proper anchoring
- Congested aisles from gift baskets, endcaps, and promotional stands
- Insufficient staffing, causing delayed cleanup of spills or debris
- Slippery entrances from winter weather tracked indoors
When an attorney brings me into a holiday-related injury case, my job is to determine whether the store followed established retail safety standards—or whether the rush of the season led to negligence. Because I’ve designed and inspected thousands of store layouts nationwide, I can quickly identify where policies were ignored or where unsafe merchandising decisions caused the injury.
If your firm is handling a seasonal retail injury this month, I’m here to help. Contact me Mon-Fri between 10a – 5p ET at 1-917-691-4853 or fill in this contact form and I’ll be in touch within a few hours.
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