Shopping spree now lasts two days
<p>As security patrols the long line of customers waiting to get into Target on Thanksgiving night, Tina Lockheart watches her granddaughter, Anna, who is almost one year old.</p>
It seems that Black Friday may no longer be an appropriate title.
What used to be the biggest shopping day of the year — the Friday after Thanksgiving — has morphed into a two-day extravaganza.
For years, Black Friday opened the holiday shopping season and retailers kicked it off by offering big savings and deals. However, across the country big retail stores have started to open their doors on Thanksgiving evening, boasting huge deals to draw in customers.
Businesses in Kalispell are no different.
Target opened its doors at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day and offered big savings on televisions and iPods that attracted customers regardless of the holiday.
Yvonne Rosaaen and her husband, Scott, arrived at the store at 2:30 p.m. to secure their spots as the first people in line.
“We’re here for a TV,” she said with a laugh. “And it’s just kind of fun to get out and about today.”
Chris Abney, the store’s Assets Protection agent, said some people lined up around midafternoon, but most of the crowd arrived between 5 and 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving.
“It’s been very busy, and I’ve been here since about 3 this afternoon,” he said as he guarded the door outside Target. The store used carts to block the door and guide waiting customers into a long line that eventually stretched past several neighboring stores.
“It’s been calm and collected so far,” Abney said. “People are just out here to have fun.”
In the six years he has worked for Target, Abney said the store has never had a problem with aggressive shoppers.
The store passed out snacks such as cookies and granola bars, as well as small prizes and toys, to waiting customers throughout the evening.
“We try to make this a fun event for them,” he said.
Other stores also gave out cookies, mini-doughnuts, hot chocolate and coffee as a way to thank shoppers for coming out.
“It’s the kickoff for the holiday season and everyone is just out here to have fun,” Bob Bridges, general manager at Best Buy, said on Friday. “We got a lot of compliments last night, and people are enjoying themselves.”
According to a study by Entrepreneur Online, nearly 25 percent of all Black Friday shoppers in 2013 went out before midnight on Thanksgiving.
This year’s big sellers locally included Beats headphones, tablets and televisions.
Several shoppers and employees said this year felt more relaxed than the past, which could be related to an increase in online sales.
“Online is getting bigger every year, for any business out there,” Bridges said. “More people are looking to turn to that every year. It’s just a normal thing right now.”
While several stores had doorbuster deals that could only be found in-store, many retailers started to offer the same Black Friday deals on their websites, allowing customers to avoid the crowds.
More than $1.9 billion was spent in online sales during the Black Friday weekend in 2013, according to Entrepreneur Online. That number was up more than 18 percent from the same time period in 2012.
Reporter Brianna Loper may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at bloper@dailyinterlake.com.