- November 23, 2024
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Early sales make Black Friday a breeze for Ormond Beachers.
BY EMILY BLACKWOOD | STAFF WRITER
Though the traditional Black Friday shoppers might be accustomed to setting their alarms at 4 a.m. Thanksgiving night, this year didn't give much time for a post-holiday nap.
Bealls Florida and Office Depot both opened their doors at 8 p.m. Thanksgiving Day. Ross and Lowe's Home Improvement kept true to the usual hours and opened early Friday morning.
Walmart was the first to begin its holiday sales by letting customers in right after dinner. They opened at 6 p.m.
Bren Lockwood, who has been a sales associate at Walmart for nine years, said that this year went much smoother then her past four Black Fridays.
"We did some new things this year," said Lockwood. "We had every employee come in, and there were many sales going on at one time. It seemed to go faster and I think it actually went smoother. We had eight cops in here, so we had no trouble. Last year was a mad house. This year was much better."
Smiling faces, decent-sized lines and barely any in-store screaming made Black Friday a little more bearable for shoppers like Chris Wilson, 34. He made it to both the late Thanksgiving sales and the early Black Friday ones, in order to search for the perfect flat screen T.V. He even said he liked the early start, since it made it easier to take his kid along.
"Everywhere was packed last night, but it was better then waking up at 1 or 2 in the morning to stand in line till 4."
