Electronics put charge into shopping
Guy Lowery, of Waltersburg, is the first Black Friday customer to enter Target, South Union Township, after a seven-hour wait at midnight on Friday.
Doorbuster deals on big ticket items such as flat screen high-definition televisions drew hundreds of Black Friday shoppers to Target in South Union Township with sales starting at midnight on Friday.
Managers at area stores said electronics were the most sought-after purchases on Black Friday.
Walmart in South Union Township, which began an electronics sale at midnight, offered various items, among them Compaq laptop computers, Xbox 360 gaming packages and Sony PS3 bundles.
Walmart kicked off the doorbuster sales at 10 p.m. Thursday, with the first sale of the night including some electronics as well as toys, games and clothing. Other electronics went on sale at midnight and then an 8 a.m. Friday sale offered shoppers even more deals.
According to the store’s assistant manager, Glenn Smith, Walmart’s three-part sale this year was a success.
“It definitely worked better to help ease congestion in the store and made it easier for the shoppers who were looking for more than one item,” he said. “They had the chance to go to several different sales. There was a lot more preparation for that and more coverage had to be scheduled in the store, but overall it was successful.”
At Kmart in Uniontown, general manager Randy Klepsky said an electric oak fireplace was a hot-ticket item for shoppers. The store, which began Black Friday bargains at 5 a.m., also offered special prices for a Leader i7 Android Tablet and a Netbook eReader.
Klepsky said while he hasn’t calculated the officials numbers, he believes the store received more shoppers this year than Black Friday last year.
“I came in at 3 a.m., and the people were lined up already,” said Klepsky. “It was just loaded in here.”
Target in South Union Township opened their doors at midnight and offered more electronic deals, including a 46-inch Westinghouse television, a Nikon digital camera and a Sony Blu-ray disc player.
Deals at locations at Uniontown Mall included discounts on clothing, electronics, home goods, services and other merchandise. Pam Moore, general manager, said that traffic remained steady throughout the day as several retailers opened their doors at midnight for the first time this year.
“It’s been the trend in many shopping malls that retailers opened at midnight this year, and they were very pleased with the results,” she said.
Larger retailers allowed shoppers to get a jump start on holiday shopping and other stores opened at 4 a.m. or 5 a.m. Friday, Moore said.
“Some shoppers who started their day late at the mall were still able to find what they were looking for,” she said. “One of the best things about shopping in the Uniontown Mall on Black Friday is that shoppers have access to a wide variety of stores all in one location.”