Some Shoppers Get An Early Start On Black Friday Deals

One of the most dreaded parts of Black Friday shopping was waiting in those long lines.

Demonstators blocked an entrance to a shopping mall as they protested last year’s shooting death of black teenager Laquan McDonald by a white policeman. Year-over-year, retail sales are have only grown 2.73 percent from September 2014 to 2015. “So what we’ve seen this year and last year is Black Friday has now become Black November”.

“It’s a great experience and um a lot of my sisters said they would never come out on Black Friday and I was courageous, but it’s great”, shopper Barbara Rigby said.

“Right now, we’re having a insane warm winter because of El Nino”, she said.

The annual ritual of Black Friday, as we know it, is over.

“There’s no one out here!” she said.

Meanwhile, for those who didn’t feel like joining the throngs today, there’s always tomorrow – some retailers say they’ll keep the deals coming for a few days more.

“I think the Black Friday sales passed, so just regular sales”, Do said. When the weather is good, they’re out and about. Our stores were organized, well-prepared and safe, and I couldn’t be prouder of how our associates served our customers. “Still holding our own on some products”, Ms. Mayo said.

“We have to assume that the consumer is just not shopping for the same kinds of things, notably apparel, and it involves a big shift in attitude and behavior”, CNBC “Mad Money” host Jim Cramer recently noted on the air.

“Each store opened up according to different hours. We had comforter sets we sold out of also”.

Despite the availability of shopping by Internet, as well as a steady rain, several hundred shoppers lined up at the Kohl’s store in Chicago’s Vernon Hills to await its 6 p.m. opening Thursday.

Almost 100 million shoppers are expected to participate, according to the National Retail Federation.

Pajamas and sweats were the preferred attire for shoppers who stood in line early in hopes of cashing in on Black Friday deals. Eager crowds of shoppers gathered in stores across the province.

“The frenzy and traffic levels were subdued”, said Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners, a retail consultancy. Many were working Thursday afternoon getting the store ready. He said midnight after Thanksgiving was by far the biggest rush.

Despite the publicity, some analysts are wary of the impact of the discounts on retailers’ pricing power, pointing out that some of chains which shunned the event previous year, such as clothing retailers Next and Jigsaw, were among the best Christmas performers.