Black Friday 2026 falls on November 27, but the surrounding shopping season can start weeks earlier and stretch long after. In 2025, promotion-influenced revenue began climbing on November 16, nearly two weeks before Black Friday. That same year, many retailers launched offers during the first week of November or earlier. Those extra shopping days mean more customers. Even with the surge of online shopping, foot traffic is back and growing, with stores seeing 129.5 million during Thanksgiving weekend 2025, up 3% from the previous year.
More customers mean more opening and closing fitting room doors, using restrooms, pulling merchandise from fixtures, and moving through the sales floor. Things that typically hold up fine during normal traffic can start to show their weaknesses as use ticks up day after day. For retail facility teams, that means preparing earlier and having the right support in place before peak season begins.
Find the Small Problems Before the Holiday Crowds Do
For PRS clients, some of the issues that surface most during peak season are surprisingly simple. A failed drawer track that’s been repeatedly overstuffed or overloaded. A toilet that’s suddenly handling nonstop traffic. A fitting room lock that’s starting to wiggle under the strain.
None of those issues sound like a major problem on their own, and most could withstand one unusually busy weekend. But when a facility experiences elevated traffic for several consecutive weeks, these small issues have more time to worsen and more opportunities to fail. And adding repairs during the already busy holiday stretch creates customer inconvenience, employee safety concerns, and even more problems for store teams to manage amid the chaos.
PRS recommends starting holiday facility prep one to two months ahead of peak shopping periods. We provide proactive walkthroughs and scheduled maintenance to help teams identify any vulnerabilities before the added strain arrives. Smaller issues can be fixed before they become major disruptions and repeat problems that may need a more permanent solution can be tracked for a more permanent solution.
For retailers managing multiple locations, that support structure also creates consistency across stores. Teams know who to call, what support is available, and how facility issues will be handled from one location to the next.
When Something Still Goes Wrong
Even with planning and preventative maintenance, the unexpected can still happen. The difference during peak season is that the store may have far less flexibility to absorb the disruption.
That’s why having reliable emergency coverage, particularly throughout November and December, is crucial. PRS provides after-hours emergency support backed by a nationwide network of knowledgeable subcontractors, so facility teams get the right trade to the location when an issue can’t wait. And when the emergency call comes in, a real, live PRS employee is available to answer 24/7. We support issues ranging from plumbing and flooding to electrical failures, broken glass, and other safety hazards.
Get Ready Before the Rush
The holiday shopping season adds weeks of pressure to retail facilities. If you haven’t evaluated your locations yet, now is the time to address maintenance needs, confirm emergency support and make sure your stores are ready for the season ahead. Get in touch with PRS today to get started.