News

Black Friday comes early

Photos

Jeff Schmucker
Published: November 24, 2012

SPRING HILL - Linda Seabol is a traditionalist and she believes Black Friday just isn't what it used to be — primarily because it started on Thursday this year.

Gone are the 4 a.m. rushes to stores and the exhilaration of beating the mad dash for prized purchases at 25 percent off, or the discovery of items that shoppers didn't know they wanted until they saw the sales sticker.

Instead, many stores opened doors Thursday night.

But Seabol didn't take the bait. Instead, she and her family waited until after 7 a.m. to hit the stores searching for deals and whatever pickings were left after the late-night shoppers.

"It's not even Black Friday anymore. Instead you have Terrible Thursday," Seabol said, while outside of the Target along Spring Hill Drive. "They ruined it all by starting a day early. You might as well say that Black Friday was cancelled."

Fellow shopper Rebecca Nicholson disagrees, saying that the smaller crowds made her first Black Friday shopping experience much more pleasant than what she imagined it would be.

"I hate crowds, so this was very nice," Nicholson said.

Lynette Burbine went an alternative route. She went shopping Thursday night until early Friday morning, rested for four hours, and then hit the stores again to see if there were any good sales she missed. She added she planned to shop most of the day and likely wouldn't get to rest again until around 5 p.m.

"The key is you have to physically and mentally prepare yourself. If you're not into all the craziness, then don't go," Burbine said.

She lucked out and found a 50-inch television Friday morning after having bought a 40 inch the night before.

Inside the Target store Friday morning, retail workers still remained busy, although nothing compared to the crowd at 8 p.m. Thursday night, said employee Nancy Freeney, who said the crowds didn't begin to thin until roughly 2 a.m.

She said electronics particularly were hot items, as expected, with many on average spending between $600 and $700.

"People might say we're in a bad economy, but it didn't seem like the people here didn't have any money," Freeney said. "I have to say, I think things were really well-organized and everyone who was here for the most part were very pleasant."

She also credited that behavior to deputies being on hand and management organizing how people could get in and out of the store.

Meanwhile, shoppers now have another dilemma following the Thursday and Friday sales — whether to go online and shop during Cyber Monday.

Retailers are already advertising that deals are being offered online by Sunday.

jschmucker@hernandotoday.com (352) 544-5271