Black Friday shopping tempered by Thanksgiving Day sales

Though sisters Mitzi Martinez-Pena and Tanya Pena were having fun shopping on Black Friday, the day didn’t start on a cheery note at 4 a.m.

“She was excited. … I was kind of mad,” said Pena, 17. “I’m not a morning person.”

“She was mad for, like, a whole hour,” said Martinez-Pena, 21.

Still, there was no question they were going.

“’Cause it’s a tradition,” Martinez-Pena said.

Tradition, bonding and good deals lured people to Black Friday shopping, but not in the droves the day after Thanksgiving used to attract.

“I think a lot of customers took advantage of yesterday,” said Rosemary Binford, a Von Maur sales associate.

Von Maur wasn’t open on Thanksgiving, but lots of other stores were.

The Target near Maple and Ridge opened at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving to big crowds, but they dwindled through the night.

“It was super, super slow,” said Consuelo Webber, a Target executive team leader, who arrived to work at 2 a.m.

By later Friday morning, the numbers of shoppers in the store seemed like a typical Christmas season shopping day.

“Usually (when) we come in, even our parking lot is full,” Binford said of arriving at Von Maur at 8:30 a.m. before the store opened at 9 a.m.

As seen nationally, the move to more Thanksgiving Day promotions by retailers is shifting holiday sales. More store traffic is seen on Thanksgiving, and the crowds that used to gather for early morning Friday sales have dissipated at many stores.

Early Friday, the Von Maur parking lot had more empty spaces than full ones, though it picked up fairly quickly as the morning went on.

“I think everybody’s ready to shop,” Binford said. “It’s good, but it’s like it’s different.”

Shoppers lined up along the sidewalk in front of Best Buy on West Kellogg on Friday morning waiting for the store’s 8 a.m. opening. The line extended next door to Northern Tool & Equipment, but it was a far shorter line than on Thanksgiving, when the line extended down to Burlington Coat Factory.

“It was really crazy,” Felicia Tolph said of the number of shoppers on Thanksgiving. She hit Best Buy on both Thursday and Friday.

140 million shoppers

According to the National Retail Federation, 140.1 million Americans – about 60 percent of adults – planned to shop some time between Thursday and Monday, which is known as Cyber Monday because of the large number of online sales made that day.

But over recent years, holiday shopping trends have melded and evolved, with online shoppers starting early in the week of Thanksgiving, and bricks-and-mortar retailers extending sales both before and after the Thanksgiving holiday. That has made it more difficult for analysts to provide a quick gauge of how things are going.

But NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay said early indications are good.

“We are encouraged by what we’ve seen thus far with eager Thanksgiving Day and early Black Friday shoppers lining up for televisions, electronics, cashmere sweaters and toys,” he said in a statement on the NRF website.

“Reports of record-breaking online sales and store crowds point to a more confident and savvy holiday shopper who knows when, where and how to take advantage of all the promotions retailers are offering.”

The federation had predicted sales for the Christmas season would rise about 4 percent this year, and Shay noted that it’s an extremely competitive retail environment.

“Shoppers will continue to make retailers work for their gift budgets as they weigh price, value and convenience,” he said.

Bargain hunting

Leon Jackson’s work schedule permitted him to experience his first Black Friday shopping, though it actually started on Thanksgiving.

“We have been out since yesterday at 7:30,” said his wife, Townette Jackson.

That’s 7:30 p.m. Thursday. The Jacksons were recharging with some Chinese food in the food court at Towne East Square a little after 9 a.m. Friday.

Among other things, the two bought Leon Jackson a new wedding ring, a snowblower, a wrench set, a drill and a hot dog grill. Townette Jackson bought two Michael Kors handbags – including a $300 one for $150 – and a wallet.

Townette Jackson scouted stores on Wednesday “just to see what the price of things was.” For instance, she found a $49 slow cooker at Sears that day, and when she returned on Friday, she bought it for $19.

“It’s worth it,” she said of the shopping marathon.

Still, Jackson said she probably won’t come out for next Black Friday.

“Yes, she will,” her husband quickly predicted.

Kelly Blackburn also shopped on Thursday and Friday. She stood in line for four hours at Wal-Mart for a Nabi tablet on Thanksgiving, but she says she didn’t encounter similar crowds on Friday at Towne East.

“It’s pretty calm in here today,” she said. “I thought it’d be busier than it is.”

Wal-Mart in a news release said more than 22 million shoppers visited its stores nationwide on Thursday.

But a number of shoppers ventured out for their first holiday shopping on Friday, refusing to get started on Thanksgiving.

“You’re not supposed to shop on Thanksgiving,” said Melody Arnold. “You stay with the family. … They’ve ruined it by opening the stores up on Thanksgiving.”

Todd Murdock doesn’t shop on Thanksgiving for a couple of reasons.

“I feel sorry for people who have to work all night on Thanksgiving Day,” he said.

That, and there’s football.

He got up at 4:30 a.m. on Friday, though.

“Well, because it makes my wife and kids happy finding bargains,” he said.

Sisters Abby Spunangle and Annie Siebert ventured out in the early morning hours Friday, but Spunangle said there was no way they could have gone on Thanksgiving.

“Ah, turkey coma,” she said.

Siebert said they go shopping on Black Friday each year “mainly just for the experience of it.”

“It’s just really fun bonding time.”

Not everyone was shopping for the holidays. Linda Parsons merely had a return to make.

“I thought a little bit about it,” she said of contemplating the crowds first. “It’s not as bad as I thought it would be.”

Her friend Mariann Banks came along just to “see what’s going on in the world.”

Retha Barrientos, who is in Wichita visiting family, didn’t have any shopping to do but went to Towne East so her sister-in-law could shop.

“Why stay home with my brother?”

This story was originally published November 28, 2014 at 11:30 AM with the headline "Black Friday shopping tempered by Thanksgiving Day sales."