A good start
Early holiday shopping results spark optimism
By Larry Meyer
Argus Observer
Saturday, November 28, 2009 10:06 PM PST
| |
| Hannah Lamb, Vale, enjoys the electric trains from a viewing platform at Kinney Bros & Keele Hardware Co., in Ontario. Black Friday bargain shoppers helped |
ONTARIO — People from around the valley awoke early and descended on area stores the day after Thanksgiving as part of “Black Friday,” filling up parking lots around the big box stores, K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Home Depot and rushing through downtown stores as well.
At Kinney Bros & Keele Hardware Company store in Ontario, there were 10 to 20 people waiting in line for them open, Mara Slinker, store special promotions coordinator, said Friday morning.
“We’ve already sold out some items,” she said.
Banquet tables went fast, she said, as well as some drills, priced at under $10.
“Silver lights are going fast, Slinker said.
She said another hot item was coffee makers.
“We’re extremely happy about how it is going,” she said.
Along with the Christmas shoppers, some people were at the store buying for their regular household projects, Slinker said.
In what has become a Christmas tradition, Kinney Bros & Keele Hardware Company customers enjoyed the elevated electric train layout, which has trains and tracks above the sales floors, from which they can viewed.
Downtown, at least one merchant reported a brisk business Friday.
“We broke our record (for one-day turnout),” Darlene Haffner, owner of the Aspen Grove bookstore, along South Oregon Street, said. There were about 20 people waiting when the store opened at 7 a.m. Friday, Haffner said. It was busy through most of the day, particularly in the morning, she said.
With the biggest bargains available early in the morning, it did not take long for K-Mart to fill up, and checkstands were quickly busy, as the store continued to fill during the first hour. Electronics were a big item for customers, according to one independent observer. Mike Kirk, a bell ringer for the Salvation Army in front of Wal-Mart, said he saw many computers and TVs being brought out the door of the store, as well as toys.
“I’ve seen a lot of bicycles,” Kirk said, also dolls and food. “Lot’s of food.”
The issue with a lot of stores, particularly the large chains is how to keep people coming through the season. Several of the large chain stores, such as Wal-Mart and K-Mart, were open Thanksgiving day.
The real meaing of Christmas is lost wrote on Nov 30, 2009 8:34 PM:
Corperate America has played you all for decades, and you all are still blind to it all. And thats why you are all broke and owe everyone. People don't even own their own cars/trucks these days, everyone buys them on a payment plan cause they have to have a brand new car they can't afford to show off to the neighbors.
And then when your home is taken from you and your vehicles and you are waiting in line at the welfare office, you have the nerve to complain about your benefits.
Go buy some more stuff people, maybe it will make you happy. "