Shoppers endure long lines for Black Friday

Kiera Manion-Fischer

Daily Kent Stater

The day after Thanksgiving, known as “Black Friday,” has traditionally been the beginning of Christmas holiday shopping.

Many stores have been starting the Christmas season sooner and sooner with sales beginning earlier this week. Some even brought out Christmas decorations weeks before Thanksgiving. This morning, stores opened their doors as early as 5 a.m.

Customers outside Kohl’s in the Stow-Kent shopping center waited for up to a half an hour in lines that stretched halfway around the store. However, the lines moved quickly, and customers generally seemed satisfied. Most shoppers said they were able to find everything on their lists.

However, some customers were discouraged by the long waits.

“I went to buy a shirt, and the line was back to the towels,” said Samantha Childress, a freshman music education major. “It was really bad.”

Childress said most of her Christmas shopping was already done.

Many customers were willing to endure long lines to take advantage of early-bird specials and one-day sales. The early bird sale at Kohl’s only continued until 1 p.m.

One of the managers at Kohl’s said electronics were some of the more popular items. According to the Chapel Hill Mall Web site, hot Christmas items are the TMX Elmo and the Kid Tough digital camera, as well as the Nintendo Wii and Playstation PS3.

Contact news correspondent Kiera Manion-Fischer at [email protected].