See You On Black Friday
Kenneth Dean
On your mark. Get set. Go.
It's Black Friday and millions of ordinary people will transform into super shoppers during the busiest shopping day of the year. A day when stores entice consumers with promises of the cheapest prices of the holiday season.
Merchants call the day after Thanksgiving Black Friday because it's the day on which they hope to take their books out of the deficit "red" and into the profitable "black."
Just hours after gorging on turkey, dressing and all the trimmings, these seemingly normal, everyday people will endure waking up at ungodly hours to stand in lines for big time savings on popular items. They will battle over precious parking spaces only to be herded through malls and giant retailers as the cash registers sing a tune that economists love to hear. No, the tune they hear will not be Bing Crosby crooning "White Christmas" over a department store's public address system, but the sound of a jolly commercial Santa Claus - ca-ching, ca-ching, ca-ching.
The shelves will be full of toys, the racks full of clothes and the aisles full of shoppers running on very little sleep. Most shoppers will be cordial despite the long lines and the sudden announcement that the store is out of the item they sought, but there will be the occasional shopper with an attitude.
For the past five years, I have volunteered to hit the stores early on this hallowed day to interview shoppers and store managers.
The sound of the buzzing alarm at 4 a.m. wakes me from a peaceful sleep and I roll over and think to myself, "Do I really want to do this?" before I finally get out of bed.
A quick shower and a short drive later and I am witnessing the masses of people flocking to stores like they were on a religious pilgrimage.
I have seen lines stretched for more than a city block as men, women and children braved the throngs of people hoping to capture the golden prize - a great bargain.
For some families, the day of shopping after Thanksgiving has become a tradition, while others will try it once to swear they will never again participate in the frenzy.
Mothers and daughters laugh and talk about the next store to hit, while in many cases, Dad looks at his watch, wondering how long the shopping trip could possibly last.
One man told me several years ago that his wife told him he either joined her shopping or he would not hear the end of it.
He then laughed and said it wasn't that bad and that he was actually having fun getting into the competitive bargain hunting.
Noel LaBlanc, sales manager at Best Buy in Tyler, said, in 2005, people camped out to be first in line when the store's doors opened.
"It's organized chaos is what it is, but we did a good job at organizing all of this and we have been able to keep lines moving briskly and I think the customers appreciate all we do," he said as carts full of items were pushed through the front doors.
Why did they camp out?
LaBlanc said they were hoping to snatch up MP3 players and laptops along with other electronic gadgetry.
Last year, the big item on everyone's wish list was the Sony Playstation 3, and many retailers again believe electronics will be the big sellers, especially with the lead crisis in the toy industry.
Despite what the consumer is hoping to score on the treasure hunt, retailers are asking for patience as they work to accommodate scores of people, and police are asking people to observe simple steps to prevent being a crime victim.
Keep packages in the trunk out of view and lock your vehicles. Police also suggest consumers be aware of their surroundings, and for women, to keep purses on their shoulder and not in shopping carts where they can be easily snatched.
I will be hitting some retailers this morning and talking to those people pushing carts full of Christmas gifts. Will I see you and your family out and about, or will you be snug in your bed with visions of sugar plums dancing in your head?
It's Black Friday and millions of ordinary people will transform into super shoppers during the busiest shopping day of the year. A day when stores entice consumers with promises of the cheapest prices of the holiday season.
Merchants call the day after Thanksgiving Black Friday because it's the day on which they hope to take their books out of the deficit "red" and into the profitable "black."
Just hours after gorging on turkey, dressing and all the trimmings, these seemingly normal, everyday people will endure waking up at ungodly hours to stand in lines for big time savings on popular items. They will battle over precious parking spaces only to be herded through malls and giant retailers as the cash registers sing a tune that economists love to hear. No, the tune they hear will not be Bing Crosby crooning "White Christmas" over a department store's public address system, but the sound of a jolly commercial Santa Claus - ca-ching, ca-ching, ca-ching.
The shelves will be full of toys, the racks full of clothes and the aisles full of shoppers running on very little sleep. Most shoppers will be cordial despite the long lines and the sudden announcement that the store is out of the item they sought, but there will be the occasional shopper with an attitude.
For the past five years, I have volunteered to hit the stores early on this hallowed day to interview shoppers and store managers.
The sound of the buzzing alarm at 4 a.m. wakes me from a peaceful sleep and I roll over and think to myself, "Do I really want to do this?" before I finally get out of bed.
A quick shower and a short drive later and I am witnessing the masses of people flocking to stores like they were on a religious pilgrimage.
I have seen lines stretched for more than a city block as men, women and children braved the throngs of people hoping to capture the golden prize - a great bargain.
For some families, the day of shopping after Thanksgiving has become a tradition, while others will try it once to swear they will never again participate in the frenzy.
Mothers and daughters laugh and talk about the next store to hit, while in many cases, Dad looks at his watch, wondering how long the shopping trip could possibly last.
One man told me several years ago that his wife told him he either joined her shopping or he would not hear the end of it.
He then laughed and said it wasn't that bad and that he was actually having fun getting into the competitive bargain hunting.
Noel LaBlanc, sales manager at Best Buy in Tyler, said, in 2005, people camped out to be first in line when the store's doors opened.
"It's organized chaos is what it is, but we did a good job at organizing all of this and we have been able to keep lines moving briskly and I think the customers appreciate all we do," he said as carts full of items were pushed through the front doors.
Why did they camp out?
LaBlanc said they were hoping to snatch up MP3 players and laptops along with other electronic gadgetry.
Last year, the big item on everyone's wish list was the Sony Playstation 3, and many retailers again believe electronics will be the big sellers, especially with the lead crisis in the toy industry.
Despite what the consumer is hoping to score on the treasure hunt, retailers are asking for patience as they work to accommodate scores of people, and police are asking people to observe simple steps to prevent being a crime victim.
Keep packages in the trunk out of view and lock your vehicles. Police also suggest consumers be aware of their surroundings, and for women, to keep purses on their shoulder and not in shopping carts where they can be easily snatched.
I will be hitting some retailers this morning and talking to those people pushing carts full of Christmas gifts. Will I see you and your family out and about, or will you be snug in your bed with visions of sugar plums dancing in your head?
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