I work at Walmart and I am under the impression there will be several changes this year to ensure the safety of all customers during the event this year. Most if not all Wal-Marts are adopting some sort of ticket system in addition to que lines.
I will admit I am a tad disappointed in some of the online sales though. Guess I had my hopes that the Nitendo DS would drop a bit in price, but it is the same proce as last year.