Black Friday chaos tamed
Shoppers were backed up in long lines as all cashiers manned the registers Friday morning in Strabane Square in South Strabane Township.
Not just an American thing, Canadian shoppers bused from Ontario, Canada, and made a stop at Kohls in Strabane Square for bargains while spending two days shopping in the area starting Friday morning.
Raquel Rugani loads a television sound system into her trunk Friday morning after shopping at Wal-Mart in South Strabane. Rugani said Black Friday crowds were smaller than previous years and attributed it to earlier sales and online shopping.
Black Friday often is accused of being the Grinch that’s stealing Thanksgiving. But perhaps the inverse is true.
Turkey Day deals may be taming the onerous day-after beast.
The “mad rush” typically seen on Black Friday appears to be reined in this year, with earlier Thanksgiving hours and online shopping that are now prevalent for holiday shoppers.
“We used to dread Black Friday,” said South Strabane police Chief Donald Zofchak.
He said Friday crowds may have been diminished by “spread-out sales” that seem to be beginning earlier every year.
“There’s some people who still enjoy Thanksgiving with family and come out later,” he added.
Two days of shopping at many big-box stores along the township’s Route 19 corridor, he said, were “busy, but not a mad rush.”
Zofchak knows retail. His township is home to four popular shopping destinations within three miles of one another: Tanger Outlets, Strabane Square, Trinity Point and Old Mill.
A steady flow of cars pulled into Tanger from Racetrack Road Friday, but that was minimal compared with Black Friday 2008, just a few months after the shopping center opened. That year, Tanger’s “midnight madness” event packed the parking lot and backed up traffic onto Interstate 79.
Vehicle traffic approaching the township’s retail venues Friday appeared to be typical for a weekday morning – and atypical for a Black Friday. This, despite bright sunshine and roads unencumbered by snow.
Wal-Mart’s lot at Trinity Point was barely half-filled by 9 a.m. and there appeared to be an average amount of shoppers inside the store, albeit with slightly more commotion than usual in the electronics department.
Raquel Rugani of Washington, who bought electronics, toys and other items to give for Christmas, said earlier deals and online shopping may have contributed to smaller crowds Friday morning. She spent Thanksgiving with family in Allegheny County and shopped during the evening in the Mall at Robinson, where the crowds were smaller and more orderly than past years.
“I think the sales are just starting earlier and earlier,” Rugani said. “It definitely helped (with the crowds).”
She also noted Black Friday sales “were pretty average” this year besides typical deals on big-screen televisions and other electronics.
Kohl’s, by contrast, was extremely busy at 9 a.m., with 70-plus customers lined up approaching eight operating registers. Customer service, likewise, was a beehive.
Yet, the Strabane Square store was orderly, not chaotic, and its parking lot largely filled but not resembling a demolition derby.
“I can truly say it’s been fun,” said Dave Adamczyk, the store manager, who had every right to not truly say that. Kohl’s Black Friday hours were 6 p.m. Thursday through midnight Friday, and Adamczyk was on duty for most of the initial 24 hours.
He was cheerful Friday morning, though, and said he enjoyed Thanksgiving evening.
“I saw a lot of smiles, great interaction between customers and our associates,” Adamczyk said. “I talked to customers all night, helped them find things, see how their night was going. For a lot of people, it’s not just shopping but being together with family and friends, having a good time.”
Kohl’s customers were largely, but not entirely, local. “I’m from Canada, I have to catch my bus,” said one, who politely declined to be interviewed as she scurried toward the vehicle, carrying six brimming bags of merchandise.
Her bus from Ontario was bustling with shoppers who were in their second day of patronizing Washington area stores. The Canadian retail customer is a growing dynamic here.
Connie Wilson, of nearby Bridgeville, was beginning her shopping day at Kohl’s. She was there with her mother, Vera Cunningham of Mount Zion, W.Va., and the two are Black Friday savvy. They participated in this ritual, together, for a number of Novembers.
“I can’t get her out of the store when she comes,” Wilson said, smiling.
Mother and daughter were satisfied beyond the five bags they lugged to their car. “Things were better today than in the past,” Wilson said. “The store was well-stocked.”
Cathy Peterson of Canonsburg said she doesn’t like Thanksgiving shopping, but hit the stores at about 7 p.m. Thursday with her brother and two sisters. “It was absolutely crazy so I went home,” she said.
That, however, didn’t prevent her from returning to the shops the next day. By herself Friday morning, Peterson was pleased with bargains she found at Kohl’s, but not enamored of the lengthy checkout line.
Like thousands of others nationwide, she is a devoted Black Friday shopper. Kohl’s was not the first of many stops planned during the day.
“Absolutely not,” Peterson said, laughing. “I was at three other places before this.”