Shoppers brave Black Friday on Owatonna

OWATONNA — Shop till you drop indeed.

During the wee hours of Black Friday, scores of bleary-eyed bargain hunters descended on Owatonna’s retail giants and the Medford Outlet Mall. Many of those interviewed said they relished the thrill of the hunt.

“It’s a lot of fun. I love the adrenaline of it,” said Target shopper Krystle Gurdes.

Extreme shoppers got an extra early start at the midnight sale at Old Navy, then hit sales at Kohl’s, which opened at 4 a.m.

At 3:20 a.m. a sizeable crowd had gathered outside. Once the doors opened, they made quick work of the store. By 5 a.m. customers waited in long, crescent-shaped lines that snaked through most of the walkways, from the check out counters to bathwear. Some shoppers nudged along carts bulging with bigger items like electric pancake griddles of Fischer Price Castles.

Krystle Johnson clutched a bundle of terry cloth towels. The Lonsdale woman got up well before 3 a.m. and drove to Owatonna to buy them on sale at Kohl’s. Johnson said she planned to make them into super hero capes for her seven-year-old twins.

When asked what motivated her, Johnson said, “I think about what people will feel when I give them their presents and how much money I’ll save.”

Many said money troubles tempered the annual spending spree this year. Nationwide, unemployment rates over 10 percent are expected to put a damper on consumer spending this season. Minnesota is no exception. In October, the state’s unemployment rate increased by a slight margin from the previous month — 0.2 percent — to 7.6 percent. In Steele County, unemployment fell to 7.2 percent in October, down from 7.8 percent the previous month. However, October’s unemployment figures are still double those of October 2007, when the area’s unemployment rate was 3.6 percent.

According to a survey conducted by The Conference Board, American families expect to spend an average of $390 on gifts in 2009, a significant decline from last year’s estimate of $418.

Shopper Ruth Kreger said she would spend less than half of what she usually allots to Christmas shopping this year.

“The grandkids are getting stuff they need instead of the toys they want,” Kreger said.

Some traveled further for deals, making a circuit of the region. Kreger and her shopping partner, Ron Stoltz, drove to Owatonna from Morristown and Winona, respectively. Likewise, Owatonna residents Elyse Fowler and Shawn Buck braved throngs of sale-hungry shoppers during the midnight sale at the Toys ‘R Us in Rochester before hitting Kohl’s in Owatonna.

“It was ridiculous,” Fowler said. “People were trying to cut in line and shoving.”

Many members of the mob were jockeying for the same three hot items, she said: A Polly Pocket Cruise, wagons, and a Twilight Saga Game Set. Fowler said she walked out with the last Twilight game — a definite score in competitive shopping.

But not all were in it for a shopping buzz. At Target in Owatonna, Heather Flies sat on the floor calmly flipping through cds as high definition television sets flew off the shelves. Flies was in no hurry — she’d already done 90 percent of her holiday shopping months before Black Friday.

“I’m here for the social aspect of it,” Flies said, who said she and her three sisters got up early to share the day.

The only items in her basket were a set of spoons and forks. She was also thinking about splurging on some band aids and peroxide.

Clare Kennedy can be reached at 444-2376.

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Member Opinions: By: fairandbalanced on 11/28/09 "Black Friday" is ridiculous. It should be renamed "Idiot Day" because that's what they act like! I went last year for ONE thing, didn't grab a cart and got mobbed by people with carts! I needed a cart just for protection. The item I wanted was gone by the time I could get to the display because people grabbed arms full and filled up their carts so I walked out of the store empty handed. I vowed then that I would never, ever go shopping on "Black Friday" again no matter what. By: MNfan on 11/28/09 I don't know if many people realize this but most of these deals are also available online. I was able to get two Leapsters from Toys R Us for $29.99 each in the comfort of my own home for the same price as the people who waited in line for hours. In fact I got a better deal because if you paid by Paypal you got an extra $10 off with free shipping to my home!! If you are comfortable with shopping online I highly recommend shopping with Bing.com. After 60 days (they want make sure you don't return the item you bought) they give you cash back. Right now Wal-Mart and Sears are offering 15% cash back on purchases made through Bing!! The amount of cash back the stores offer can vary from day to day buit it's a great deal. In 60 days I will get a credit of over $17 for the purchases I made on Thanksgiving. Hopefully this little tip will save some people some money. Happy Holidays:) P.S. I still couldn't resist I did go to the stores yesterday. It was a mad house but I still had fun. By: atlascollapsed on 11/28/09 Black Friday? There goes the OPP bring up color yet again this week. (Sorry I couldn't resist) By: secretsquirrel on 11/28/09 You beat me to this one AC but I gotcha on the deer feeder! LOL I thought this was a followup article on the Historical article from the other day. By: FEIDO on 11/28/09 Black Friday? A little racial don't you think? Next they are probobly going to come up with a white sale or something. By: trueblue on 11/28/09 Atlas, squirrel, and Feido. What the hell is wrong with you? You realize that all you are doing is feeding the machine. We all need to do our part to stop this nonsense. By: secretsquirrel on 11/29/09 Tough question. Not sure where to start... By: FEIDO on 11/29/09 Well trueblue we can't call it blue Friday.That is reserved for Mondays.Maybe we can call it red Friday,after all that is all people see when fighting the crowds.Especially in the bank statement.Quit being so blue,just trying to add a little humor.I hope I don't get ganged up on by a mob of 20 Owatonnans now. By: secretsquirrel on 11/29/09 I vote gray! Gray Friday has a sort of neutral tone to it, don't you think? People have white Christmas' and black Fridays. What's with all the color commentary anyway? Think gray. By: coloradokid88 on 11/29/09 people always have to bring race into anything with the color black. How will we ever get rid of the race issue when it is always brought up? Quit comparing and bringing up the subject. Black Friday is in no way condecending to that group of people. By: quinn on 12/1/09 Isn't black the absense of all color? What could be more PC than that? By: coloradokid88 on 12/2/09 shop downtown locally. Merry Christmas all. Have a good Christmas season.
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