The new black – Times Record News

PHOTOS BY Patrick Johnston/Times Record News Customers took advantage
of several discounts on large-ticket electronics at Best Buy during
the early morning hours of Black Friday.

Black Friday acquired more names this year than in years past because
of the extension of the super shopping day into Thursday.

Names like Grey Thursday and Small Business Saturday also were
attached to the Thanksgiving shopping days. Many stores opted to open
earlier this year on Thanksgiving Day at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. in
addition to other door-busters at midnight and the early morning
hours.

Locally, Toys R Us opened its doors at 8 p.m. and welcomed more
shoppers this year than last year. In fact, many local businesses
boasted bigger crowds this year. A Target employee said they did more
than $200,000 in business in the first two hours of opening their
doors at 9 p.m.

“Our first couple of hours were much better than last year’s first
two hours. We just had so much more traffic in the store. More people
were buying early. The 9 p.m. opening really helped our sales,” said
Kerry Beaver, store team leader of Target. “From what I was hearing
from guests, they were definitely more likely to come at 9 p.m. than
get up at two o’clock in the morning.”

The stores seem to be keeping organization under wraps, too. Toys R
Us, like last year, let 50 guests in at a time, as people made their
way out of the store. Another employee helped keep people in line with
overhead announcements about where the end of the line was. Once
guests reached the front of the checkout line, another employee
directed them to lines for smooth, quick transactions.

Wal-Mart and Best Buy were packed with shoppers, too. Because of the
staggering of openings, local store managers described the large
crowds as more manageable and organized.

Wal-Mart had door-buster sales at 8 p.m., 10 p.m. and again at 5 a.m.
that lasted through the rest of the day.

Despite many people turning up their noses at stores opening on the
Thanksgiving holiday, shoppers responded positively and came out in
big numbers.

Toys R Us store manager Josh Barger said they also had longer lines
this year than last year. Toys R Us opened early last year, but at 10
p.m. rather than 8 p.m.

“We opened early last year, and the guests seemed to respond really
well to it. It’s been a huge, huge turnout. People are responding to
it. They’re shopping, they’re buying, so it seems to be a good thing,”
Barger said. “They’re getting great deals, and I think that’s what
people are looking for.”

Barger said people were calm and receptive to how they queued the
line and allowed shoppers in the door, making it a safe, fun Black
Friday shopping event for parents hoping to get a great deal on toys
for the holidays.

Other than toys, electronics were once again one of the hottest
commodities on shoppers’ lists.

Best Buy opened at midnight and offered a 40-inch TV for $180. Target
offered hot deals on TVs, cameras, gaming systems and other
electronics as well.

“I think the Black Friday shopper knows what to expect. They’re
prepared when they leave the house for lots of crowds and busy, and
they expect to get a good deal,” Barger said.

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