|
Crowds Jam Many Malls For Shopping Deals on "Black Friday"
By
C. MacDonald
Black Friday turned into a shopping frenzy at many malls throughout California
as shoppers raced to get their "early bird" deals while their electronic,
clothing and toy items were still available. With an estimated 20% less stock
this year in most stores, customers jostled through human gridlock to reach
their targets, while both plainclothes and marked security watched to minimize
store losses.
At the Kohls in
Bella Terra,
Huntington Beach, 30-45 minute morning checkout lines were common, inspite of
the efficient store personnel that did everything possible to keep things moving
swiftly. I purchased a pair of much-needed athletic shoes, saving over $30,
thanks to the store sale and a sticker worth $10 off the purchase of anything
over $20 that was stuck on a newspaper.
Even though the lines were long and weaved
like a Chinese New Year's Parade through the store, I didn't hear any
complaints, only how much money everyone was saving. Molly Evans from Provo,
Utah stood in front of me, with her arms full of personal necessities as well as
gifts for her family. The soon-to-be mother was beeming with her savings as was
Conrad Whitechurch from British Columbia, Canada, who stood with his wife, Ella,
behind me. They were bubbling over the hundreds of dollars they were saving by
beating a special early sale deadline.
The well-behaved throng at the packed
store may have given Kohls the nod as the most popular business in the mall.
Coming in a close second was Bed, Bath and Beyond, which had a steady flow of
people buying, buying buying.
The success at Bella Terra was echoed at similar shopping places: South Coast
Plaza, Costa Mesa, was full of festive shoppers; Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton,
had live music serenading the crowds as they lined up to enter stores; Valley
Fair in San Jose had a packed parking lot with a constant circling of cars full
of people hoping to get their share of the deep discounts; Hillside Shopping
Center in San Mateo also was packed--one store official said, "We're bustling
with business."
Well-known retailers like WalMart, J.C. Penneys, Best Buy and Toys R Us likewise
had tremendous crowds. The CEO of Toys R Us said more than 1,000 people were in
line before midnight at several of his stores, anticipating big savings.
"Hallelujah," said Bill Franks, a store employee at Glendale Galleria. "I've
never seen such an Army of shoppers. They all seem to know what they want and
where to find it. And they're very patient and pleasant standing in lines."
"Ring-a-ding-ding"--the cash registers at many places are making music that can
only thrill retailers and the public, who have teamed up on "Black Friday" to
give the economy a very much needed push. Lets hope it continues through the
Holiday Season!
The name "Black Friday" was created decades ago, when the day after Thanksgiving
became a shopping phenom, helping stores get into the "black" (become
profitable). Also See: Days before the
doors opened for Black Friday sales,
shoppers camped out for savings.
|
