Years ago, Black Friday meant one high-risk weekend for retailers. Now, the store conditions that were mostly contained to a single weekend problem can stretch across much of the holiday season. Black Friday deals are starting earlier, promotions are running longer, and holiday traffic comes in waves instead of one big rush.
For retailers, that means the security challenge has changed too. As Black Friday evolves from a single shopping event into a season, retailers need to rethink how and when they deploy security to ensure protection keeps pace with risk.
The Risk Has Changed
During the holiday rush, retail theft remains a concern, but the latest data shows a more complicated picture that goes beyond shoplifting.
The National Federation’s Impact of Retail Theft & Violence 2026 report found that retailers experienced a 12.4% decrease in shoplifting incidents in 2025 compared with 2024. However, other risks continued to evolve. Retailers reported increases in repeat offenders, organized retail crime-related incidents, and walkout or pushout theft. Violence also remains a significant concern, particularly with guest-related incidents.
That follows a difficult 2024, when shoplifting incidents increased 18% over the previous year, and threats or acts of violence tied to theft rose 17%.
The takeaway isn’t that every type of retail crime is climbing every year. It’s that the risk is progressing. And during the holidays, retailers face that risk while also managing heavier traffic, higher-value inventory and more opportunities for conflict over a longer period of time.
Where the Risk Shows Up
For RSS clients, the most common incidents guards handle during peak holiday traffic are shoplifting and customer disputes. But those incidents aren’t isolated to a single Black Friday weekend. RSS-covered sites see issues arise year-round, including throughout the weeks surrounding the holidays.
Those problems can happen anywhere, but some locations carry more exposure than others. Stores with a history of theft, locations expecting heavier holiday traffic, and those carrying higher-value inventory are often the places where additional coverage makes the most sense.
Our standard recommendation for retail clients heading into the holidays is to have guards posted during business hours at the locations carrying the greatest risk.
As guard scheduling increases, so does visibility into what’s happening on the floor. This gives retailers more opportunities to identify, respond to, and document incidents throughout the season.
Holiday Coverage Should Be Booked Early
Requests for Black Friday weekend coverage typically begin coming in two or more months ahead of the holiday. The earlier retailers plan, the larger the pool of experienced guards available to staff at those locations, particularly when coverage is needed across multiple stores or throughout the entire holiday season.
Waiting until closer to Black Friday can mean fewer options at the time demand for security coverage is increasing.
Plan for the Season, Not the Weekend
Black Friday looks different than it used to be. What was once a concentrated weekend of shopping has expanded into weeks of promotions, traffic, and activity. Retail security plans should account for that same timeline.
If your locations don’t have holiday coverage locked in yet, now is the time to start the conversation. Get in touch with RSS today to build a security plan for the season ahead.
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