The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
SHOPPERS TRAWL THE MALL BY THE THOUSANDS
Shoppers flock to Great Lakes Mall in search of Black Thursday bargains
Whether on a mission to bag specific bargains or just out for a night of post-Thanksgiving-dinner entertainment, thousands found themselves inside the Great Lakes Mall in Mentor Nov. 23 as holiday shopping season officially got underway.
Mall marketing director Kate Miller said the day was going well by about 8 p.m.
“Traffic is good. It’s strong,” she said Nov. 23 just outside JCPenney in the mall’s main concourse. “I see lots of big bags and smiling faces.”
As an ocean of shoppers ebbed and flowed around the mall, Miller said Thanksgiving Day, on which the venue has been opened for about five years now, is a good time for folks to get familiar with the place if they haven’t been there in a while.
“I think one of the best things about a big shopping day like this is that people are discovering some of our new retailers like Charming Charlie and Hibbett Sports,” Miller said, adding that the mall’s gone through some changes in recent years about which causal shoppers might not be aware.
“Some people don’t come to the mall often,” she said. “So, if they didn’t see it online, on social media or in The News-Herald, they might not be aware of all the changes that have been taking place here. So, not only is it a great time to do some shopping and to find some great deals. They’re also seeing how the Great Lakes Mall is expanding and evolving. It’s pretty exciting.”
Although he looked more exhausted than excited, Geneva resident Devin Lee, who sat down for a water break while his mom and aunt browsed Victoria’s Secret, said he enjoys the tradition
the trio has made of visiting the mall on Thanksgiving.
“I just kind of tag along,” he said as he took a gulp of water. “I’m here for the whole Black Thursday shopping experience — people watching, the whole thing. We make a day out of it.”
Judging by the stack of shopping bags around his feet, one would think He, his mom and aunt had spent most of the day at the mall. But he confirmed they’d only been there about a half-hour.
Another pair of holiday shoppers — Painesville residents Miriam Velazquez and nephew Brian Ramirez — also had their shopping game plan down to a science and had already scored some bargains by about 9 p.m. Nov. 23.
Velazquez said she generally has to work on Friday and therefore misses out on scoring any bargains then. Plus, she said, it seems like there are better bargains to be had on Thanksgiving.
“It’s the best deals today,” said Velazquez, who works at the mall’s Tony Sacco’s Coal Oven Pizza and knows the lowdown on where to get what on Black Thursday. “I think there are better deals today than on Friday.”
She also said doing her shopping now, as opposed to weeks from now, seems to work out the best for her.
“Everything is more expensive when you try to do it last-minute,” she said. “So now is a good time to do some shopping.” Brian agreed. “It’s just a better alternative to Black Friday,” he said, adding that it’s a good idea for people to “always save up their quarters, nickels and dimes” for a day like Black Thursday.
Both shoppers said they have a plan when it comes to Black Thursday shopping.
“We pick off things we need the most first,” Brian said. “Then we pick off the rest.”
“I’m here for the whole Black Thursday shopping experience — people watching, the whole thing. We make a day out of it.” — Geneva resident Devin Lee