Area shoppers, stores participate in Black Friday

By RICHARD JENKINS

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With the previous day's food comas worn off and NFL football games over, area shoppers headed out to stores to take part in Black Friday, the annual event that seems to be as much a tradition to some as Thanksgiving.

Several shoppers told the Daily Globe they were buying Christmas presents for the families and taking advantage of the sales.

Donna Sue Lipske, of Hurley, said she had gone to Walmart Thursday and was taking advantage of the sales in Kmart on Friday.

"I like today much better than yesterday, because last night was insane," said Lipske, who was at Kmart with several members of her family and was purchasing things for their camp, as well as gifts.

Some shoppers intentionally waited until later in the day to avoid the early morning rush.

"I used to go (early in the morning), when I lived down in Arkansas. Five o'clock in the morning, stand in line, it opens up (and) people trample you. You get something, they take it right out of your cart. I said, 'I'm done with it.' I'm done with it," said Carleen Jurkowski, of Wakefield. "And here the population is so small, you can go two days later and it's still on sale."

Jurkowski estimated she had about 10 percent of her Christmas shopping to do, having already done some last month.

"She starts shopping right after Christmas for the next Christmas," chimed in her husband, Tom.

Heidi Knoke came to Ironwood from Ashland specifically to purchase a Christmas tree she saw advertised.

She said while the Christmas tree was the primary reason for coming, she was picking up several other items, including presents, while in the area.

Having a good chunk of her shopping complete, Knoke said she usually avoids the Black Friday crowds.

"If I hadn't seen this Christmas tree in the (advertisement) I wouldn't even be here today," she said. "But I am getting quite a bit done."

Friday's shoppers weren't just Gogebic Range residents. Kris Freier was visiting from Illinois for the holiday and visited Walmart to do some Christmas shopping. She said the trip wasn't the end of this season's gift purchases.

"Oh no, I have half to go, (I have a) big family," Freier said.

It wasn't just the big stores that saw an increase in traffic; several local businesses also saw more customers as part of Black Friday.

"It's been better than expected," said Darryl Mattson, one of the owners of Mattson's TV and Appliances.

While Mattson said the store didn't really do anything specific for the day, it has led to more shoppers.

"People are in a shopping mode right after (Thanksgiving)," Mattson said. "There's more people in town, too. We're getting kids buying some things for their parents in town."

Abelman Clothing and Footwear in Bessemer has also been had more shoppers.

"It's been busy, extremely busy," said owner Bob Abelman, "so lots of local people and lots of people from out of town visiting for the holidays."

In addition to some special promotions the store ran, Abelman said the arrival of snow also helped sales.

Abelman said it was too early to compare the day to previous years, adding that the store actually looked at the weekend as a whole, rather than just Friday.

Ellen Wyssling, a manager at Z Place Art and Gifts, also said she was waiting to see how the weekend - especially with Saturday known as "Small-Business Saturday" - as a whole turned out, as the store was hosting its Christmas open house throughout the weekend with activities for kids and refreshments.

Wyssling said past experience has indicated that if the store is generally busy on Fridays, it means a slower Saturday, while a slow Friday is a sign of a busy Saturday.