Spirits are high as merchants report good Black Friday sales

Open the doors and they will come?even if it is a rainy Thanksgiving evening.

And come they did as stores getting a jump on Black Friday events by offering the same deals on Thursday night reported strong traffic.

?We were real happy with sales last night,? Chad Sloat, manager of the Mt. Pleasant Walmart store, reported this morning. ?Even though more and more sales are going to .com (Internet), we were as busy as last year, if not busier. We were also pleased that there were no incidents (of violence).?

Sloat said he felt his store personnel did a great job of organizing door busters which added to smooth sailing for Thursday?s Black Friday sales which began at 6 p.m.

?We had a lot of positive comments about the organization of sale merchandise,? Sloat continued. ?I thought our customers and associates were in good spirits last night which helped. When customers have a good experience with our associates, that means a lot.?

Sloat, who has managed the store for 18 months, said that trampolines and toys sold very well. Of course, the big-ticket items such as large-screen televisions also sold rapidly.

?All in all, it was easier to manage this year,? Sloat said. He said in the past the store had two large sales events, one beginning at 6 p.m. and the second one at 8 p.m. However, this year, there was just one sale promotion beginning at 6 p.m. ?That way people didn?t have to come back again which made it easier.?

Sylvia Graber and her daughter, Chloe, were ?Black Fridaying? it at Peebles Thursday night. Graber said the family enjoyed the Thanksgiving meal and some family time before venturing out.

She said this is the first time she?s gone shopping on Thanksgiving night, explaining it was her daughter?s idea. ?She wanted to come so I came along. It was close by and there were some good deals. Ordinarily, I am not a Black Friday shopper.?

One person who was doing more observing at Peeble?s than shopping was Brandon Durr, of Rock Island, Ill. Durr said he was spending time with his uncle and aunt in Mt. Pleasant over the holiday. ?I?m here because they were going and I decided to check it out. I am not really looking for anything, but I did not want to stay home by myself.?

Susan Haffarnan, of Mt. Pleasant, said she came to Walmart for one item ? the 32-inch television. ?The kids are Black Friday shoppers, but I am really not.?

Haffarnan also echoed the sentiments of several shoppers who did not want to be quoted ? Black Friday should remain on Friday. ?I realize I am out here,? she said, ?but I think the workers need to be spending Thanksgiving with their families.?

Although Peebles Department Store did not open until 2 p.m. Thursday, Emily Newby, store manager, said there were people in the parking lot already at 1 p.m. to secure their place in line. ?I was surprised people were here so early. We had quite a few cars in the parking lot by 1:30 p.m., and there were people standing in line outside by the time we opened at 2 p.m.?

The store manager said her four doorbuster televisions sold out really quickly. Other top sellers were Rampage boots and most women?s shoes and apparel.

Sales finished $3,000 over last year?s Thanksgiving event at Peebles, Newby said. She attributed that to the additional hours the store was open. Last year, Peebles opened at 4 p.m., on Thanksgiving.

Newby said she heard more comments this year than last about the store being open on Thanksgiving. ?More customers were upset about that this year. However, the company knows that when we open early, the customers will come.?

Today?s (Friday) sales were steady, she said. ?There wasn?t the huge rush there was yesterday but traffic has been good.? Peebles opened at 6 a.m. today.

Barb Shelman, of Olds, said she was first talked into Black Friday shopping by her sons, but has been doing it now for several years. She said her son purchased a television while she was looking for toys for her granddaughter.

A few paces away from Shelman in Walmart, Mt. Pleasant?s Jeremy Fugate was just browsing. ?It is the second time I?ve come on Thursday night,? he said. ?It is a little crowded, and I am having trouble getting to the stuff I want.?

Fugate was in the electronics department. He said he purchased an Xbox1 last year on Black Friday and was looking for a controller and games for the Xbox this year. ?If I don?t find what I need tonight, I will just come back tomorrow. I come to these sales because the prices are excellent.?

Sound Advice, in Mt. Pleasant, started its Black Friday sale this morning, and Byron Perron, manager, said the event was going well. ?We had people standing in line when we opened (at 8 a.m.) and sales have been very brisk ever since we opened. In fact, I think our sales are better than last year.?

Perron said cellphones, hands down, were the top seller. ?Our promotional cellphones are always our top sellers,? he noted. ?People are always looking for deals on cellphones.?

Becker?s Jewelers ran its Black Friday sale events this entire week, and Karl Schaefer, manager of the store, said that sales have been good the entire week. ?Our Black Friday traffic in our store isn?t what it is at the big box stores, but that is why we run our sale all week and sales have been good.?

Sloat said that Black Friday sales are dependent on one thing ? people. ?We really appreciate the community support. Even with the rain last night, a lot of people came out.?