Shoppers check out at Meijer in Lima on Black Friday.
Jacob Espinosa | The Lima News
LIMA —The scenes straight out of dystopian end-of-the-world movies featuring masses of panicking people stampeding over one another for deals on Christmas gifts may just be no more.
For Lima stores and shoppers, Black Friday was a successful, albeit muted event.
“We started off when the store opened,” said Lima Meijer Store Director Mark Campbell. “People were coming in for the great specials that we have going on. We have a lot of tradition with people who shop here every year. So it was a very good start to the Black Friday weekend.”
And most shoppers seemed to be satisfied with finding all they were looking for without having to fight for items.
“It’s been good,” said Brooke Burklund, with two friends, who said they had also been to Walmart, TJ Maxx, Ulta and Five Below. “Nobody’s been really pushing anybody or anything crazy, you know? So, we’ve gotten pretty much everything that we came out for.”
Some shoppers like Stephanie Dukes and Sharon Guice said that they actually missed some of the struggle of Black Friday and found camping out to be part of the fun.
Nevertheless, they still found this year to be more peaceful and successful.
“Because there weren’t as many people it was like, ‘Where are all the people?,’” said Guice. “But it was nice to not have to wait in a long line.”
Even though there might not have been as much of the traditional clamor for this year’s Black Friday shopping, Campbell said that there was more shopping being done than last year and that it was steadier. And he thinks it was due to the strong preparation of the store.
“I think the sales are very strong this year,” he said. “The ads that we’re running, the discounts that are that are stackable and the supply of goods is much better this year. We have most toys that people are looking for. And everything that a person could want this year, they can couldn’t even get last year because it could have been on a shipping container somewhere. But this year, it’s much better.”
Among the items being cited as popular sellers by both Campbell and shoppers are shoes, toys and clothing.
According to The Wall Street Journal, nationwide, in-person spending habits are returning to levels prior to the pandemic despite deals not being as advantageous. Online spending habits, however have grown to the tune of $5.3 billion on Thanksgiving Day alone. Black Friday spending, for comparison, is projected to reach $9 billion.
Reach Jacob Espinosa 567-242-0399.
