And announce ahead of time that the merchandise is NOT on the floor.
Office Depot did this and it ran very smoothly. The first five people were let in. Each went to a register, stated what he/she wanted, stock person retrieved it from the back, purchased it then out of the store.
It was great.
That is an excellent idea. One of the other things that bothers me so much about this incident (I mean two lives were lost - a 38 year old man in the prime of his life and a precious unborn child)is that I feel confident that there was not one person in the crush of people that NEEDED the thing they were buying. I have read of people crushing people to get food and water and I totally can understand that desperation. However, to push, kick, trample, and stampede all so you can get $50 off some electronic equipment????
If these people are buying gifts because they celebrate Christmas, I think they should seriously consider what it is they are really celebrating.