No blues on Black Friday
Shoppers wait in line for their turn to capitalize on Black Friday deals at Best Buy in Coeur d’Alene. General manager Jon Olson described numbers from this year’s annual holiday tradition as “explosive,” adding the shopping process was seamless and organized for electronics consumers this holiday season. (CRAIG NORTHRUP/Press)
CRAIG NORTHRUP/Press Lindsey Tompkins Messerly (right) showcases a shirt for Jill Tompkins to judge at the Coeur d’Alene Target Friday morning. Despite a record $4.2 billion spent by online shoppers Thursday, a strong economy is boosting healthy crowds at brick-and-mortar parking lots from State Line to Sherman Avenue — and around the country — for this year’s Black Friday shopping.
By CRAIG NORTHRUP
Staff Writer
Rachel Harmon didn’t say exactly what she believes are the reasons behind the consumer phenomenon of Black Friday sales creeping into Thanksgiving evening. When asked whether a strong overall economy, a blossoming online-to-store-pickup trend or softening stances in Chinese tariffs were more responsible, the Post Falls resident wasn’t afraid to speak her piece.
“Whatever gets me that Playstation bundle,” she admitted, bobbing up and down on her heels to keep warm as she waited for the doors at Coeur d’Alene Best Buy to finally open Friday morning.
Harmon was by no means alone. Regardless of the economic forces driving consumer purchasing power, she was one of thousands to take advantage of heavy price cuts throughout Kootenai County’s retail stores and shopping centers, helping push the local and national economy in what appears to be a strong Black Friday.
“The number of [shoppers] has been great so far,” Coeur d’Alene Target manager Kristine Kannegaard said amid her packed store Friday morning. “It’s been very, very busy. Very steady. Our goal today is just to bring some joy this holiday season to our guests, and we’ve had quite a few guests today.”
“It’s been amazing,” John Olson, general manager of the U.S. 95 Best Buy, agreed Friday. “Sales [Thanksgiving night] were explosive. There wasn’t really a line this morning when we opened: Everybody today seemed to arrive right as we opened for business, so it’s been very seamless, very calm but very exciting.”
Traditionally, final Black Friday sales figures have served as a signal of the health of the American economy. But those numbers have become more complicated over time, as the sales extravaganza’s ballooning into Thursday — coupled with the invention of Cyber Monday and the more recent trend of ordering online and picking up in-store — can paint a much deeper picture of consumer purchasing trends.
That said, all signs point to a strong holiday season for retailers.
According to Adobe Analytics, internet shoppers nationwide spent a record $4.2 billion on Thanksgiving Day alone. While robust online shopping sales have traditionally led to dimmer brick-and-mortar retail projections, this year’s online purchasing power appears to reflect a simpler, more optimistic trend: People, according to Adobe, have more money to spend.
Still, not everyone is thrilled with a Thanksgiving shopping spree.
“I’ve never been a fan of Christmas shopping right after Thanksgiving,” Jill Tompkins said Friday morning inside the Coeur d’Alene Target. “Thanksgiving should be a time to spend with family. It shouldn’t be about going out and fighting to get the best deal. It’s really kind of sad.”
The push to satisfy shoppers on Thanksgiving Day has swelled to meet consumer demand, as some stores opened earlier than ever Thursday. Macy’s in the Silver Lake Mall opened at 5 p.m. this year. Target opened at 2 p.m. Big Lots on Appleway, in what’s become its own Thanksgiving morning tradition, opened at 7 a.m. and stayed open until midnight.
“I used to read in the financial news that online shopping would end in-store sales,” Big Lots manager Charlie Riley said. “But I’ve never bought into that, because here’s the thing: You can only shop online so much until you get cabin fever. You can only sit on the phone or tap on the table so much until you say, ‘I gotta get out of here.’”
Riley added that the store circular delivered in the Coeur d’Alene Press on Wednesday evening accomplished its purpose: Drove shoppers into the store.
“Yesterday, it was the one-day sales,” he said Friday afternoon. “We had recliners for $189. That was a huge seller for us. Today, it’s the Christmas trees. At 50 percent off, I’ve sold tree after tree after tree after tree.”
“The biggest seller for us this year has been the TVs,” Olson said as he greeted shoppers waiting in line in his Best Buy. “The Samsung 75-inch has been a huge seller for us. I think people have been really jumping on televisions this year, just because the prices have dropped so much.”
“For us,” Kannegaard said as she pointed to the electronics section in the back of Target, “people have been buying smart home [technology], smart appliances, and lots and lots of toys.”
Kannegaard recommended shoppers looking to enjoy Black Fridays should start by bringing two things: friends and plans.
“It’s always good to have made the right plans for what sales you want to hit, and when you want to hit them,” she said. “And making a day of it is always a great way to enjoy yourself. Be patient and just enjoy the day.”
Many Friday shoppers half-agreed, bringing friends or family without necessarily bringing a plan.
“We’re just kind of going with the flow,” Ashley Heitshu of Post Falls said, standing in Target next to her sister, Rachelle Harriston. “We do this every year, but we didn’t really map anything out this year. We’re just spending the day together.”
“We didn’t plan anything out,” Crystle Ervin said beside her sister, Theresa. “She just called me up and said, ‘Hey, what are you doing?’ So I got out of bed, threw on some clothes, and here we are.”
One big winner of Black Friday this year was Fred Meyer. Most every shopper interviewed for this story referenced the Kathleen Avenue and U.S. 95 store’s spotlight promotion rewarding its first 100 shoppers waiting in line before 5 a.m. Friday with gift cards ranging from $5 to $100.
“We got 100 gift cards sent to the store, put them in a bucket and mixed them all up,” assistant manager Eric Salle said. “We went out there and gave it to a bunch of loyal shoppers waiting in the cold. It was a big boost to our shoppers, because it was good pricing in the store today anyway. This gave them some extra buying power.”
When asked about sales predictions this Black Friday, Salle said the shopping won’t stop anytime soon.
“It’s been pretty good, comparable to last year,” he said. “Definitely better than what we’ve been seeing in the past. And we’re still rockin’ and rollin’ through the weekend. We’re still going strong.”