Kerri Robertson, left, and her sister Jessica Eller have a light moment during a shopping spree on Black Friday. (Photo by Judy D.J. Ellich)
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SOMERSET -—
With hopes of snagging yet another deal for the holidays, several Black Friday shoppers in the Somerset area discussed giving up eating turkey to shop while they waited in yet another line.Some stores, such as WalMart, opened earlier than ever this year with enticing offers, drawing some of the shoppers away from family and hearth as early as 4 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, some shoppers said.
Black Friday is important to merchants because it kicks off the holiday shopping season. It is important to the shoppers because it is a way to stretch finances in a tough economic time. But, the biggest shopping day of the year is chipping away at another big day of the year — Thanksgiving Day, and many of the shoppers are concerned. But the concern has not stopped them from shopping earlier.
Thanksgiving is important to Brian Simmers of Mount Pleasant. But, he gave up a part of the holiday to go shopping with Kalsey Romesberg, of Shanksville, on Black Friday. The couple began shopping at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving at WalMart to buy a Kindle.
The store had sold out. The couple continued to shop, taking only enough time to slip in a two-hour nap, before standing in front of Radio Shack in Somerset Township Friday at 5:20 a.m. waiting for the doors to open in ten minutes. In Simmers' hand was a card. He proudly showed it. On the card was written "Kindle." A manager of the shop had given it to him. He had fufilled at least a part of his quest.
While in WalMart, the couple encountered shoppers who had waited in line for an item since about 4 or 5 p.m.
"They probably didn't spend much time with their families on Thanksgiving," Romesberg said.
"I think it (sales) should be on Black Friday and it should start at 4 or 5 a.m., Simmers said.
"This is the first year I shopped on Black Friday. I've always been on the other side of the counter as a manager at GameStop in Mount Pleasant," he said.
Just because shoppers get up or don't go to bed to be among the first in line for an item, doesn't mean they will get what they want.
A small group of shoppers left Radio Shack disappointed even before it opened at 5:30 a.m. The cards handed out to those in the line outside the closed doors ran out on the item they sought before they could even get into the store.
At WalMart, the cards with a popular item's written on them ran out at 7 p.m. on Thanksgiving. The line formed about 4 or 5 p.m. The shoppers waited until 10 p.m. to buy the item, because that is when the sale began,Simmers said.
"It is wrong that a store carries only a few of the items advertise as part of a Black Friday sale," he said.
"But, everyone should know by now that often there is just a few of the advertised hot ticket items available," he said.
Even though circumstances can become hectic and tiring, this Friday at Walmart the people tended to be thoughtful, according to employees who take care of the carts in the parking lot.
"They all seem to come at midnight," said Chris Streng, of Garrett, who calls the parking lot and shopping carts at WalMart his domain. He has worked there for five months and called Black Friday "the craziest period of time" since he started working at the store.
He said he expected there to be more shovingover the sale period, but he experienced none of that.
"They were actually kind of friendly," he said.
Edward and Aleena Kubeja, of Gray, started shopping around 11:30 p.m. and stood in line in WalMart to buy Aleena her Cannon T3 camera, leaving their two small boys with the grandparents.
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