Earlier store opening times thin Black Friday crowd

Spokane retailers had no shortage of shoppers on Black Friday, but the long lines and early morning mad dashes to buy coveted merchandise are now the exception, not the norm.

Most major retailers opened their doors on Thanksgiving night, drawing many determined bargain hunters. By early Friday the crowds were thinned.

Some said the number of shoppers was down, even after the initial 6 p.m. openings on Thanksgiving. The crowds seemed to swell after the Seahawks game.

The overnight crowd at Spokane Valley Mall was driven more by tradition than a search for the best sale prices.

“We’re not really looking for anything, just hanging out,” said Chris Merkel, who accompanied his 15-year-old daughter Greta on their annual overnight shopping trip. They sat at a table with another father-daughter pair, eating a snack, at 2:30 a.m.

Later in the morning, four young men sat sprawled on couches outside a department store, waiting for the rest of their party. Vitaliy Golubenko said he wasn’t shopping for anything specific, but had spent Black Friday with the same group for about eight years.

“We all get to hang out together,” he said. “It’s an excuse to go shopping with friends.”

At the Target and Wal-Mart stores, doorbuster sales on Thanksgiving evening drew the biggest crowds.

“Sales have been really good,” said Richard Porter, a manager at the Spokane Valley Target. “It wasn’t quite as busy (as last year), but it’s really steady.”

Other retailers drew early-morning lines. About 150 people lined up outside Fred Meyer – some overnight – for the 5 a.m. sale. Many were hoping to snag a deeply discounted TV. The popular Apex 32-inch model sold out within 10 minutes.

In line at the electronics department, Kim Colville said she’d done her serious shopping on Thanksgiving. After eating turkey at 11 a.m., her family was able to leave for Wal-Mart by 3 and get the bulk of their Christmas shopping done.

“This is just a bonus,” she said, waiting to buy a monitor for her home office.

Sales have been pushed even earlier this year, with many retailers opening at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving. For Kristen Bradford, an assistant manager at Fuego at Spokane Valley Mall, that meant missing Thanksgiving dinner with her family.

“I like it because I need the money, but I hate it because I miss out on family time,” she said.

One Sears salesman working an overnight shift said he was scheduled for 33 hours of work in the next two days.

But many workers say they enjoy the fast pace of Black Friday, even with long hours.

“We love this. It’s like a sport for people,” said Devin Codd, the store manager at the NorthTown Mall J.C. Penney. “While everybody’s sleeping, we’re here selling stuff.”