Bargain hunters crowd stores
For some, shopping is a holiday traditionBy JOE GORMAN / Tribune Chronicle
Article Photos
For some, the tradition of rising before the sun and hitting the stores the day after Thanksgiving is as much a part of the holiday as the turkey and the stuffing.
Twila Beatty of Flatwoods, W.Va., however, was a rookie in this tradition, so she was wide-eyed at the fast pace of the big leagues as she and other family members took a break early Friday morning at the Eastwood Mall in Niles.
Beatty, originally from Garrettsville and in town visiting relatives there, said other members of the family roped her into going.
''I got suckered into it,'' she said.
Others, such as Ron Schnarrs of Girard, are veterans, although he said his wife and two daughters give him a very specific responsibility.
''I sit and watch the bags,'' Schnarrs said from a bench as he was surrounded by several - mostly pink - bags.
He said he likes the shopping because it is something his whole family can do together while his daughters are home from college.
Ken Kollar, general manager of the Eastwood Mall, said he was pleased with the kickoff to the holiday season on the day dubbed Black Friday. He did have some concern about how the economy would affect Friday's shopping, but traffic at the mall was heavy, and he noted that there were times when there was not an empty seat in their food court.
''I feel a lot better now than I did at 3:30 this morning,'' Kollar said early Friday afternoon.
Stores that opened before the mall did fared very well, and Kollar said Friday's performance may even be better than last year's Black Friday.
Teri Boscheff of McDonald also was a Black Friday first-timer. She got what she wanted on her first stop at a store in Liberty early in the morning before heading to the mall.
She was paired with Tammy Stanovcak of Girard, a veteran. The goal, she said, is to ''try to look for bargains.''
Sandy Franklin of Warren has also been taking part in Black Friday for ''quite a few years,'' she said. She checks the ads in the paper the day before to map out her itinerary.
''It's a tradition,'' she said of her reason for battling the crowds. ''We've been doing it for quite a few years.''
She said she headed out at 5 a.m. to begin her day. Electronics are high on her Christmas shopping list, Franklin said.
Rachel Delzingo of Southington, who was with Beatty and her family, said more than shopping is involved.
''It's more about friends and tradition,'' Delzingo said.
Jackie Beatty, Twila Beatty's sister, said the family communicates through e-mail before Black Friday, checking out sales and comparing shopping lists before hitting the stores.
Stanovcak said she enjoys the day even if she doesn't buy anything.
''I just like the action,'' Stanovcak said. ''I love the crowd and I love to see everything.''
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XANADU440
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11-30-08 1:30 PM
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BLACK FRIDAY IS A JOKE!!!!
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Sassysue
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11-29-08 11:34 AM
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Honesty, then you'll never know what you're missing....much more to the world than Ohio...trust me.
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honesty
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11-29-08 8:54 AM
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This is great. Not like the idiots in New York that trampeled a Walmart worker to death. I wouldn't go near New York City if I was paid to. Great people of New York. Yeah, right.
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