Black Friday shoppers line up for deals
Early-morning rain did not stop area shoppers from trying to get Black Friday deals.
Many first-time Black Friday shoppers waited in line Friday before local stores opened at 5 a.m. and later, with people seeking discounts on televisions, electronics, and sporting goods.
Area businesses also offered giveaways to customers, some of whom waited hours to be among the first in line.
About 100 shoppers filed into Cabela’s in Centerville when the doors opened for Black Friday deals at 5 a.m., while smaller crowds were out at businesses like Best Buy.
“I came out just for the sale, just for Cabela’s,” said Jim Stewart, of Riverside. Stewart said he does not typically shop on Black Friday, but he came out to see the deals Cabela’s had on fishing supplies, apparel and other items.
Some of the earliest shoppers waited outside Cabela’s, which sells hunting, fishing, and camping supplies, for deals on firearms, some of which were up to $150 off their regular price.
Braiden Thompson and Jordan Young, both from Sidney, were among shoppers who were at Cabela’s for those deals, along with Todd Bunnell, of Franklin. For Bunnell, this was his first time shopping on Black Friday, and for Thompson, this year was his first waiting in line on Black Friday.
Other shoppers stopped by for in-store giveaways and discounts on gift cards.
“It’s always good for free money,” said Cindy Curry of Beavercreek. “They’ve got some pretty good sales going on, so it’s a good time to buy.”
Mike Adlesh, general manager for Cabela’s, said the store had a great turnout on Friday morning, even with the weather.
“Despite the rain, we’ve got a lot of customers coming out,” Adlesh said. “We’re just the place to be this year for Black Friday for the whole family.”
Fred Sink was one of the first Black Friday shoppers to arrive at Cabela’s, arriving at about 10 p.m. Thursday evening. He said other shoppers started trickling into the parking lot at around 3 a.m.
“The guys in there were great,” Sink said. “We got gift cards. I think the first 200 or so people in line got gift cards.”
This was also a new experience for Sink, a first-time Black Friday shopper, and he said it was fun and that he would do it again.
The Ohio Council of Retail Merchants and researchers from the University of Cincinnati told the Dayton Daily News this week they expected a 3.4% increase in holiday spending this year, which is a lower increase than previous years.
Retail sales growth in Ohio was 13.2% between the 2019 to 2020 holiday spending season and 6.4% between the 2020 to 2021 season, according to the 2022 Holiday Retail Sales Forecast.
“Black Friday and Cyber Monday continue to be two great shopping days,” said Gordon Gough, president and CEO of the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants.
While growth was smaller, this is the 10th year in a row for Ohio to see an increase over the previous shopping season.
“It’s a good sign of stability in the Ohio economy,” said Gene Pierce, a member of the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants.
Brad Evans, U.C. Economics Center director of research, said the smaller increase was due to Ohio not rebounding as quickly as other states following the pandemic.
The National Retail Federation is estimating an increase of 6 to 8% nationally in holiday spending.
“We still have not yet recovered all of the jobs that were lost,” Evans said this week. Despite jobs not bouncing back yet, wage growth is still outpacing inflation, Evans said.
Researchers found there was a 12.3% increase in wages and salaries between the first quarter of 2020 and the second quarter of 2022.
Ohio’s retail industry accounts for 18% of Ohio’s gross domestic product, about $26.5 billion annually, and the retail industry directly or indirectly employs 1.5 million people in Ohio, or one in four jobs.
Best Buy near the Dayton Mall saw about 30 shoppers waiting in the rain to shop deals on televisions and monitors.
“We’re just getting something for cheap,” said Carter Miller of Middletown, who was waiting in line with Blake Mcintosh and Jaden Patterson.
Many shoppers tried waiting in their cars to avoid the rain but got in line outside the doors as more people gathered to wait for Best Buy to open.
For another group of friends waiting nearby, this was their first time shopping early Black Friday deals, having previously shopped on Thursday evenings after Thanksgiving.
“Best deals in town,” said Cody Harsman of Dayton. Ben Johnson of Centerville said they were there to look at TVS.
“They were the earliest building open,” said Grace Rudolph of Centerville. “This is my first year.”
It was also the first year for Black Friday shopper Kayla Hartley, of Cincinnati, who said she does not usually shop that early.
The Ohio Council of Retail Merchants said many retailers have shifted from opening doors Thursday evening to going back to waiting until Friday morning, and also offering other channels of shopping prior to Black Friday, like online deals.
“We usually go at 6 p.m. on Thursday,” said Harsman. “Kind of miss it.”