Santa hats and shopping bags were the scene of this year’s Black Friday as customers made their way out of stores with full hands and big smiles.
The first stop was Best Buy at 5916 W. Loop 289.
Best Buy manager Steven Sonday said they have learned from previous Black Fridays and in order to accommodate customers, changes were made. Some of these changes, he said, included opening up on Thanksgiving Day and extending their deals throughout the holiday season.
“We’ve heard nothing but excellent responses from our customers, that we’ve definitely been able to cater to them, a lot of them,” said Sonday, as customers walked out with televisions and large amounts of blue bags.
For college students, he recommends the hi-tech Samsung ‘Gear Watch’ which performs the functions of a cell phone, video games, and cell phones.
Ali Addelaziz, a junior petroleum engineering major from Egypt, said even though he waited an hour in line it was well worth it.
“The prices are good, but they can still lower the prices more than this,” he said, as he and his friends made their way out with a basket full of merchandise.
Mohammed Barakat, a freshman petroleum engineering major from Iraq, said he was pleased with his Black Friday finds. Barakat showed off his deals and said that Black Friday is good for college students.
“Last year I was in Dallas,” he said, “so I went to different Best Buys and other stores. I found different stuff. Here, everything is limited, but this year wasn’t that bad. I liked it.”
Moving on to the South Plains Mall at 6002 Slide Road, people walked in and out at a steady pace. For those walking in through the main entrance, the mall’s newest addition, Simply Mac, was their first stop.
Store manager, Landen Ferguson, said they have been open for a little over a week and they have had great response from the community.
“I’m very impressed with how big of a reception we got from the community,” he said. “We’ve had tons of people come out from Texas Tech and the community in general. Everybody’s been very warm and welcoming to us.”
With only an hour into their sale, he said they had about 200 to 250 people and they were almost completely out of their door busters. The store’s brightly lit displays highlighted technological gadgets at discounted prices. Their biggest seller he said, was their $50 Bluetooth speaker which usually sells for $100.
Oakley representative, Steven Gutierrez said their store will have regular pricing with normal sales, but they always have a lot of students. Since they opened at 8 p.m., he said they’ve had 10 to 15 customers in their store at a time-which is no busier than a regular weekend.
“Most people are trying to get the best bang for their buck and this really isn’t the best place for that as far as Black Friday goes,” Gutierrez said.
He said he prefers to shop online to avoid the crowds and people may want to check out the Oakley website during Black Friday’s online equivalent, Cyber Monday.
Victoria Secret had plenty of deals according to sales representative Taylor Ballard.
Ballard, a junior psychology major, said like most stores, they opened earlier this year. Even though they have a lot of good deals, she recommends shopping online.
“You don’t have to deal with all the people and I think online has more to offer,” Ballard said about Cyber Monday.
The last stop was Target at 7302 University Avenue. Despite their early opening, customers were still lining up at registers.
Target manager Brandon Smith said while there are a lot of similarities to last year, they received positive feedback from customers. Once the doors opened, he said it took 15 minutes for all the waiting customers to enter the store.
He said at opening, they had about 1100 customers looking for deals on items such as electronics and shoes. He pointed to an employee as she worked to put out another pallet of women’s boots.
“I would like more inventory, that way we can continue to drive sales into Friday, Saturday, and Sunday,” he said when asked about his Christmas wish list.
With a seven to eight minute wait at the registers, he said students lined up to purchase entertainment items but with an out-of town game, he wasn’t quite sure how many college students were able to come out.
In an effort to make holiday shopping a little easier, retailers city-wide said they have more inventory and sales will continue to throughout the holiday season.
For the college student on a tight budget, Simply Mac, Best Buy, and Target have many deals on electronics. Many stores inside the mall had apparel up to 60 percent off, and according to some high-end name-brand retailers, they will have regular pricing at holiday hours.
About Lucinda Holt
