This past Friday, while some people were watching football or eating leftover turkey, the unheard Christmas bells were ringing for the rest of the public. “Black Friday,” as it’s commonly called, not only serves as a discount holiday shopping extravaganza, but a reminder that the holidays are rapidly approaching.
Since many offices are closed the day after Thanksgiving, customers embrace the day of heavy discounts and get started on their holiday shopping.
The day is commonly thought to indicate just how busy the shopping season will be.
In fact, the public has President Franklin D. Roosevelt to thank for bumping up Thanksgiving Day; were it not for him, citizens would have one less week to do embark on the holiday-season shopping.
Discounts for locals
Retailers throughout the Hudson County area prepared for the shopping extravaganza.
Amongst those was PC Richard & Son, located in West New York. “[Black Friday] is a very big day… [we have] a tremendous amount of volume so we open early to anticipate the demands of our customers,” said President Gregg Richard.
“We have to satisfy the customer.”
In preparation for the busy season, PC Richard & Son also scheduled more staff members on to help with customers.
“We choose to have all the specials we run [on] that day, not just hourly,” said Richard.
“It gives all of our customers a chance [at savings] not just those that get there early.”
The West New York’s Mandee’s clothing store prepared for a crowd.
“We have markdowns every two weeks,” said Marina Amaya, first assistant manager of the female apparel store. “Everything is already on clearance.”
Amaya also added that some promotions were sent out via e-mail to customers and that despite pre-planning; the store expected Black Friday to be busy.
“A lot of people are looking for sales and they start early. Black Friday is a good chance [for that],” she said.
There are always people waiting outside, said Amaya, adding that people were already getting ready for Black Friday days in advance.
“It started today [Monday],” she said, “There are a lot of people, even myself, getting ready for Christmas, gifts, and presents [early].”
Another store that prepared for the rush was Rammee Two, a men’s clothing store owned by Mr. Bassily. Though Mr. Bassily planned to open his store three hours earlier than usual on Friday, he admits that one can only hope for the best on Black Friday.
“Ever since the train station was built, they [shoppers] go to the malls – Bergenline is dead,” he said. His store offers competitive discounts yet Bassily points out he’s given away “too much discount.”
“It has to be Good Friday for me,” he joked, “not Black Friday.”
With luck, the holiday shopping season will be less tedious than those tangled Christmas lights.
For comments on this story, e-mail NMillan@hudsonreporter.com