Shoppers and workers bear Black Friday madness

 

It’s 11:30 p.m. and day care owner Lisa Walker prepares for long lines, rushed individuals and chaos. It’s Black Friday- the day that people gather after Thanksgiving to get the best deals and lowest prices on different items from electronics to clothing.

 “I like to start my shopping at midnight,” Walker said. “I like to insure that I will be able to get exactly what I want before it’s gone.”

Department stores open at different times depending on their expected traffic. Some stores open at midnight while others open the doors at 5 a.m.

MAC cosmetic counter manager at Macy’s Makalia Carson worked a long day from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Black Friday

“I am tired,” Carson said. “We were so busy that I wasn’t able to take my lunch break until 3:30 p.m.; I get off at 4. We have been swamped.”

Large department stores such as Macy’s, Dillard’s, JCPenny’s, Sears and others offered 20-50 percent off on items ranging from home appliances to clothing and shoes to fragrances.

Express, a smaller store opened at 5:30 a.m. and gave a certain percentage off entire store items such as 40%.

 “We set a goal amount for the day and went over with the traffic. We aimed for $20,000 for the entire day and made revenue of $40,000 by 2pm,” said Express store manager Rashad Rose.

Numerous individuals were filled with energy as they rushed to these stores to receive deals on merchandise. However, the must-have items of the year were electronics.

Best Buy had individuals lined up and wrapped around the corner early as 5 p.m. on Wednesday. The store opened on midnight Friday.

“We were extremely busy all day. I would say around 5,000 people came in or more,” said Best Buy sales associate Brandi Nelson.  

Customers rushed to get the deals on the flat screens, laptops, iPads, PSC’s, Xbox and various video games.

 “I arrived at 10 p.m. on Thursday. The line was so long, I didn’t think I would be able to get a flat screen. But I was able to buy my 40 inch for about $180,” said Best Buy customer Cedric Floyd.

Some of the deals included a 40 inch for $179, laptops for as low as $187, iPads for $179, Video exchangers for $200 and video games ranging from $5-$7. 

Many individuals aren’t able to deal with large crowds and rather receive their deals later on in the day.

 “I arrived at the mall at 6 p m. I wanted to avoid the big crowds since everyone goes early in the morning,” said shopper Latrice Blocker.