Stores prepare for 'pilgrimage' of shoppers

It's hard to say who is more excited about Black Friday, the shoppers or the retailers.

"I live for this day," said Lisa Doza of Jackson, who started waiting in line about 4 p.m. Thursday and won't finish her Black Friday shopping until about 4 p.m. Friday.

This year, stores are opening earlier than ever before; some were open Thanksgiving Day.

"I think a lot of it is tradition. It's their annual pilgrimage," said David Bortner, general manager at Kohl's. "If you're shopping that early in the morning, you like it or you wouldn't be doing it."

This year, Kohl's was to open at 3 a.m., J.C. Penney shortly after at 3:30 a.m., Macy's, Target and Sears at 4 a.m., Best Buy at 5 a.m. and Staples at 6 a.m.

Doza and five of her friends get to work on their Black Friday plan of attack as soon as the turkey is cleared from the table.

"We'll all sit around the table and look through the ads and say who wants what," Doza said. "We'll make a list, and then we'll divide and conquer."

They'll split up, going to different stores to get everything that everyone in the group wants.

"We're in and out. We are focused on what we need to get and then we're gone and on to the next one," Doza said.

'Go, go, go'

She said the adrenaline keeps her group going.

"You've just got to go, go go. If we stop and rest, then we're all in trouble. There are deals out there to be gotten and you want to get them," she said. "It's not beyond us to take something out of somebody else's cart if they've left it unattended."

For retailers, many of the preparations for Black Friday are done Wednesday evening as hot gift items are moved into the aisles in bulk. "Giftable stuff like electronics, e-readers and toys will be the first to go," Bortner said. "Later in the afternoon, sales will shift more to apparel."

At J.C. Penney, a pricing team worked from 10 p.m. Wednesday to 4 a.m. Thursday to get the store ready for Black Friday.

"It's huge," said Sarah Grigaitis, store manager at J.C. Penney about the significance of Black Friday in the retail business. "We do 60 percent of our business for the year in November and December. These two months, having the merchandise, having the associates and giving the customers the service they want make the entire year for us."

The National Retail Federation is predicting a 2.3 percent increase in holiday sales this year.

mmiller@semissourian.com

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