Black Friday provides silver lining for merchants

MAT-SU — For several stores around the Mat-Su, Black Friday could not have come too soon, and its payoff was well worth the wait.

Many stores reported that this year’s annual mega-sale held the Friday after Thanksgiving produced better sales numbers than last year and gives hope that an economic turnaround is finally here.

“We have been following it pretty closely, and October and November of this year have been better for us than last, said David Cheezem, co-owner of Fireside Books in Palmer. “That is really heartening things as it feels like things are moving in the right direction.”

For Cheezem and his wife, this year’s Black Friday was better than last, he said.

“It has been a pretty good day,” he said. “It has not been a huge day, but we have had a good number of people come in. And the new catalogue of books we have has had people coming in looking for books they want.”

He believes that having a smaller store has its benefits as well.

“A lot of people who have come in say they do not want combat shopping,” Cheezem said.

The “combat shopping” Cheezem was speaking of is the chaotic hustle of shoppers trying to secure the limited, but large, deals found at many chain stores.

Shimek’s store manager Steve Burress said business was about average.

“People looking to make a big purchase like a television will come back a couple times before actually buying,” he said.

Burress, who was closing a $1,000-plus deal by mid-afternoon for a home entertainment center, had parked his pickup truck with a sign in the back advertising sale specials next to the Seward Meridian Parkway before opening Friday morning.

Across the street at Wal-Mart the store aisle were packed with shoppers looking to score big ticket items at low prices, and by 5:30 a.m. those big-ticket items like high definition televisions were being pushed through the parking lot and loaded into waiting cars.

For Valley resident Carol Camp bell-Taunuu, getting her big-ticket items was not to be.

“I was at the store at 4:50 a.m and by time I got in at 5 a.m. everything I wanted had sold out,” she said. “It was a mad house.”

One way to avoid combat shopping is to appease the customers, and Sportsman’s Warehouse did just that by offering coffee and donuts to early morning shoppers who stood outside before the store opened.

“We had a crowd outside of door when we opened, and everyone was great and excited to be there,” said manager Josh Anderson.

For Anderson, this year’s Black Friday was a baptism by fire.

“I arrived only about a week ago from Idaho so I am pretty new.” he said. “It has been controlled chaos here, there has been some breather moments, but they were few and far between.”

Although he is a new member to the staff, Anderson feels this year’s sales could surpasses 2008. He attributes much of the store’s success to the loyalty of customers in the Valley.

The tremendous savings didn’t hurt either.

“We had Black Friday sales that came out in newspapers and good door busters that really offered some good deals,” he said. “A lot of merchandise that went fairly quickly we had multiple strong selling items — clothes, electronics and firearms — and we still do. The great turnout and sales have added up to a great day.”

Some shoppers around the Valley found deals at local stores to be less appealing. Dawn Robinson said she did not think the discounts were that good at Target.

“I was a little disappointed there was not anything half off or really big mark-downs, but then again you probably had to get there really early in the morning to get the best deals,” she said.

But for Robinson, she just enjoys the atmosphere. “It is just kind of fun to get out and see, and it is something to do.”

For another local store owner the Black Friday sales rush usually spills over into the weekend. Mary Scheie of Just Imagine Toys said that “we usually have a good weekend after Thanksgiving, so I assume it will be the same this year.”

She reiterated what other stores owners were saying that this year’s sales are definitely higher than last.

“We have had great sales today, we already surpassed what we did last year, and we were hoping to,” Scheie said.

For all the store owners, it was a day that kicked off a good season for them and makes them hopeful for a strong holiday season. And some see it beginning. Anderson, like Cheezem, believes the economy is now on an upturn. “I strongly feel that we are making progress.”

Contact Lanier Hutcheson at lanier.hutcheson@frontiersman.com or 352-2265. Robert DeBerry contributed to this report.