Black Friday: Time to shop ’til you drop

CINDY WOOD/independent feature writer

Up all night. Shop all day. That’s the mindset of millions of consumers who will soon hit the streets for Black Friday, a dream for retailers and nightmare for shoppers who battle hours-long checkout lines and bumper-to-bumper traffic, all in an attempt to get the biggest bang for their shopping buck.

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), over 150 million shoppers are expected to start their holiday shopping season on Black Friday weekend, up 27 percent from last year’s figures, and shoppers will not be unprepared.

Black Friday advertisements have leaked out all over the Internet during the past two weeks, and shoppers have already cashed in their Christmas Club accounts and mapped out strategies.

No doubt, retailers will offer deals galore in an attempt to grab the biggest piece of the retail pie. The NRF predicts that clothing, toys, electronics and household goods will be high on the list for shoppers this year. Additionally, the NRF states shoppers can be prepared to suffer from sticker shock, in a good way. “Though many retailers are already touting select Black Friday ads, there’s no doubt we’ll all be blown away by what retailers still have in their bag of tricks for shoppers,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay, who added some stores will open their doors at midnight to grab the early crowd.

The term “Black Friday 2011 promotion” has also taken on new meaning this year, as consumers around the nation are looking to Facebook and Twitter for up-to-the-minute information on the best deals. Facebook showed the largest promotional increase this year, as almost 75 percent of stores this year will use Facebook to appeal to shoppers.

“Social media will play a big role in how shoppers follow company sales announcements this holiday season,” said Phil Rist of Strategic Initiatives. “Social retailers may be rewarded this season in terms of additional holiday sales.”

Shoppers’ confidence is also up, and buyers are optimistic this year, despite a still sluggish economy. Early predictions from the NRF show an increase of 2.8 percent in holiday sales this year, which is higher than in the last 10 years, but still not up to levels seen before the financial crisis.

Each shopper should spend an average of $700 this year, and the NRF states many shoppers reserve their spending until the end of the year, in order to take advantage of deeply discounted products.

For some consumers, the deals are great, but Black Friday also offers families opportunity to spend some time together making holiday memories.

“I look forward to spending that time with my mom and my sister,” said Karla Lewis, who has participated in Black Friday for many years. “We always have lots of laughs, find lots of deals, have lots of fun, and make lots of memories.”

Nevertheless, long lines, traffic and pushy people do not appeal to everyone. Kindra Butler of Mendon said she skips the shopping extravaganza every year, for good reason. “I don’t do it,” she said. “I tried it once and that was enough for me. I am definitely not a Black Friday girl.”

Regardless, millions of people are and they will be flooding stores at the crack of dawn, or before, to snatch up the best deals.

At the Walmart Super Center in Van Wert, the deals actually begin at 10 Thanksgiving evening. A Walmart manager noted the first 18 pages of the store’s 28-page advertisement will begin selling at 10 p.m., which is the first of three such Black Friday events the store is offering. At midnight, hot-ticket items such as televisions and electronics will go on sale, and another sale begins at 8 a.m. on phones and other miscellaneous items.

Walmart associates have already begun preparations in anticipation of Black Friday, and the manager noted that large-demand items will be prominently placed throughout the store. Shoppers wanting the best deals, though, will have to spend some time in line, where tickets entitling holders to the sale items will be distributed. Another key piece of information, the manager noted, is that the layaway area will not be open during the special sale times, but will open at 8 a.m. on Friday. The manager also stressed Walmart’s “Christmas Price Guarantee,” which has been heavily advertised this season. Consumers who purchase an item at Walmart and find the exact same item at a different store for less, can bring their original Walmart receipt in and receive the difference on a gift card.

Across town, associates at Peeble’s are looking forward to the annual event, and the store is stocked with 100 early bird specials that are available from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. The store will remain open until 9 p.m. Friday.

Rural King in Van Wert is actually one of the few stores that will conduct regular business hours on Thanksgiving Day — while offering special sales that day. In addition, the store will open at 6 a.m. Friday, but HR Manager Sue Pugsley warned that the early bird does, in fact, get the worm — or in this case, a really great deal on a fire/safe combo.

“Those will go out the door pretty quickly,” Pugsley said, adding that there are many additional items with low prices available for shoppers. “There is so much preparation that goes into getting ready, from making sure the registers are stocked, to making sure certain items are put on the floor where customers can easily access them.”

Tractor Supply in Van Wert will also open early at 6 a.m. for extended Black Friday hours.

So as the turkey begins settling, and the football games wind down, millions of shoppers will be pouring over circulars, scouring the Internet for the best deals, and filling the tank up for what undoubtedly will be one of the biggest shopping days of the year.

Happy shopping!