For many, Black Friday shopping is more than just bargain hunting

Tara Gishie carries her daughter, Lerayah, 7 months, as while Lemanuel, back right, and Calum, 4, follow behind during Black Friday shopping at Best Buy in Salt Lake City on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2019. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News

SOUTH SALT LAKE — Nathaniel Juarez starting camping out in front of Best Buy in 2012 for the bargains.

This week he did it because “it’s tradition.”

“We do it every year just to get the doorbuster deals,” said Juarez, the first of several hundred people lined up outside the Best Buy in South Salt Lake, 261 W. 2100 South, about 30 minutes before it opened at 5 p.m. for “Black Friday” — even though it was still Thursday.

“Back in 2012 when there were like nine tickets for the 32-inch TV, you had to. I had a guy tell me, ‘We have plenty. You didn’t have to do this.’ But it’s the spirit of it. I like hanging out. We had snacks. ... At first it was to get the stuff. Now it’s ‘We’re going to camp out!’”

Black Friday has plenty of haters, but none of those were in the lines at retail stores Thursday night. For most shopping on Thanksgiving night and into the early morning hours of Black Friday, saving some money was only one of the reasons they brave the crowds.

Juarez and his younger brother Cobee set up their tent Wednesday night about 11 p.m.

“Just as we started pitching it, (the snow) started coming down,” he said. “We got it up, put the tarp over and tied it off. And then we just went to bed with the blankets.”

A couple of complications led to them leaving early Thursday morning, but returning a few hours later and still earning that spot at the front of the line.

“My brother pulled the zipper off the door, so now the door doesn’t close — at all,” they laughed. “The snow just builds up. Around 5 a.m., I wake up and I’m like, ‘Oh, it’s so cold.’ I tell him, ‘Hey, there is no one here, let’s get out of here.’ We start to get out and what happens? The tent collapses, as we’re getting out.”

They laugh, and then reiterate that, yeah, camping out in a parking lot in the cold is worth saving several hundred dollars on a new TV, but it’s really more about being together and sharing some memories.

As the Juarez brothers waited in line with hundreds of other people, the employees inside were listening to what sounded a lot like a pre-game pep talk from a pair of managers. After a reminder that making customers happy was the No. 1 priority, they call them into a huddle and lead the team in a call and response type cheer ending with the team — “Best Buy!”

And then it’s everybody take your positions!

Smiles, laughter and more than one energy drink are shared as they take their places and prepare to welcome customers. Even those who’ve never worked a Black Friday sale feel somewhat prepared, as the company put them through a special Black Friday bootcamp in early November, according to Best Buy spokesman Kevin Flanagan.

“All of our stores from across the country get together, before the stores open, and walk through how the day would go,” he said, saying most employees look forward to it. “We have a lot of fun things, employees waiting in line outside the store, walking through the whole ticketing process, going through all departments and mapping out their game plan so everything stays fun and it’s safe and organized. ... There is a lot of cheering and chalk talk and chances for recognition. It’s a great opportunity to get pumped up. And it also puts some minds at ease.”

He said it’s important that customers enjoy the experience.

“There will be a lot of excited people,” he said, “and so we want to make it so our employees are prepped and ready.”

The experience — including the crowds — is what drew Brennan Gallegos and Samantha Perez to Best Buy Thursday night. They were hoping for good deals on some of their favorite movies.

“I love crowds,” Perez said smiling. “I just like people.”

They said it gets them feeling the holiday spirit, and they love searching for a great deal. But how do they shop for each other if they bargain hunt as a couple?

“That’s what online shopping is for,” said Gallegos, his arm draped over Perez’s shoulder.

At Walmart, Black Friday deals began online on Wednesday. Whether that’s an emerging trend or not, no one was quite certain, but Guy Child, manager of the PetSmart, 389 W. 1830 South, said his store offered pre-Black Friday specials all week because this year, Black Friday fell late in the month.

“We did the pre-Black Friday sale to try and match the sales from last year,” he said.

PetSmart wasn’t open on Thanksgiving, but opens at 7 a.m. Friday with even better deals than it offered all week. The store offers lower prices all day, rather than a limited window, in part because its trying to accommodate shoppers who may hunt for bargains for the humans in their lives before they search for deals for their furry friends.

“We used to do a four-hour sale, but we actually offer the sale prices until we close, and then we start another sale on Saturday,” Child said. “People would go shopping all night, then go home to sleep and not come in.”

People have been spending more on pets each year, and so they strive to offer as many types of deals as possible — from the necessary food and cat litter to the stuff that makes a pup or kitten feel extra special, like toys and apparel.

“We’ll have really good deals on toys,” he said smiling. And as for his employees, he claims they enjoy this weekend.

“It is actually really nice,” he said. “The best part about PetSmart compared to other retailers where I’ve worked, it’s busy but not chaotic. I came from Circuit City where it was chaotic.”

Amid people who declined an invitation to talk about why they love bargain hunting on Black Friday weekend, two mentioned there was a lot of “shaming” for those who either needed or wanted to shop on Thanksgiving.

But a lot of those who shared their thoughts said shopping on Black Friday, including Thanksgiving, is a treasured family tradition. It’s something they enjoy — and something that saves them money.

At Walmart in Salt Lake City, employees served customers cookies, coffee and juice as they prepared to shop for this year’s great deals.

Jessica Ellington was on the phone with her husband, who was at a Target down the road, while she and her sister priced bikes and vacuums at Walmart.

“It is exciting,” Ellington said, as her sister entertained her 2 year old. “It’s a rush. I literally get all of my Christmas shopping done today. We have a plan today, and then we go in the morning. We go home and sleep a tiny bit.”

She and her husband split up to search for the best deals, and their families have accommodated their tradition.

“It kind of sucks that they started doing (Black Friday) on Thanksgiving, honestly,” Ellington said. “But I love it. I enjoy it. We kind of forced our families to do Thanksgiving dinner earlier, so we can have the night.”

In a line for airpods at Walmart, 11-year-old Haysan San waited with his uncle, Rusak Sik. He planned to buy his uncle the wireless earphones he’s wanted for a couple of years.

“I come every year,” he said, acknowledging he always has a plan. “It’s good stuff for a cheap price.”

His uncle said this would definitely make him the “favorite” nephew — at least for the year. And there is one more benefit to shopping on Thanksgiving night. It is a great way to avoid doing dishes.

from Deseret News https://ift.tt/2OswoMe