Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Shoppers and cashiers, start your engines
Las Vegas Valley retailers get ready for Black Friday
Best Buy supervisor T.J. Beverly is gearing up for his 14th year working the frenzied Black Friday weekend, and he expects to see nearly 10,000 shoppers lined up to get first dibs on discounted products.
“When I worked at the Maryland Parkway location, there was a guy that had a tent … and a TV in there,” he said. “You see couches out there. I’ve seen all kinds of stuff.”
Beverly joined his team at the North Decatur Boulevard store last Saturday at 7 a.m. for a Black Friday rehearsal.
Employees learned each depart
ment’s plan for keeping the shopping experience seamless.
General manager Anthony Saunders said that, based on overall sales and internal store performance metrics, the North Decatur Boulevard store ranks in the top 5 percent of Best Buy’s 1,000 national locations.
According to an annual survey by the National Retail Federation and Proper Insights & Analytics, the average shopper will spend about $1,047 this holiday season, up 4 percent from last year.
Meanwhile, Nevadans are projected to spend $593 million over the five-day Thanksgiving weekend and Cyber Monday, a jump of roughly 6 percent from last year.
Saunders said he increased his staff of 75 to 100 workers, and everyone is expected to work on Black Friday.
“Every single employee has to understand how important things like crowd control, product placement and their individual understanding of the holiday readiness plan (are), so when customers come in the building they can expect a worldclass shopping experience, just like they would any (other) time of the year,” he said.
As they have in previous years, Best Buy associates will ask customers about the doorbuster items they are looking to purchase and hand them a color-coded ticket representing that specific product. Saunders said the ticket guarantees customers will receive their merchandise and gives them a relatively stress-free three-hour window to wander the store for additional sale items.
“This is my first Black Friday,” said sales consultant Jade Otto. “It seems interesting. People have to go around (the store), there’s going to be balloons and tickets. I’m like, ‘Whoa, it’s a whole celebration.’ It’s going to be intense.”
Otto, who moved to Las Vegas from Phoenix in September, said her previous retail experience was as an associate at PetSmart, so she’s “used to wearing the blue.”
“The holiday season in PetSmart was busy because everyone is trying to get their dog food, but not like thousands of people, so it’s going to be exciting,” she said.
Saunders said he usually sees his first holiday shopper Sunday afternoon.
“By the time we get to Tuesday and Wednesday it will be past our building,” he said.
“It’s an event now. It’s almost like a tradition, and we love that because it allows us to really feel the holiday approaching.”
Back office lead Nicole Nacy said that, after 21 years with Best Buy, she has learned organization is key. She described the situation as “organized chaos.”
Nacy admitted she misses her family when she’s working during the holiday, but she said the time flies by.
“I miss my family because I do have a family at home, but we tend to celebrate before Thanksgiving,” she said. “I love working the holiday. The customers are great. The energy is great. It’s a fun atmosphere if it’s done correctly.”
Sales consultant Derek Ritsch, a recent transplant from a Wisconsin town of 70,000 people, said he feels well-prepared for his first Black Friday shift.
“Recently, I helped someone get every single video game, the consoles, everything, and to me that’s cool to meet so many different families and make their holiday,” he said. “Everything is pretty much the same as normal business. There’s just a lot more people in here.”