Shoppers Love, Laugh at and Loathe the Black Friday Sales Experience

It would appear that Thanksgiving Eve is the new Black Friday and shoppers in Kings Park say they love, loathe and laugh through the shopping extravaganza.

Take local resident Cynthia Grimley, who for the past few years has made shopping at midnight a fun tradition she shares with her younger sister.

“We chat, we have a good time,” said Grimley. “Last year we posed like the shopper from last year’s commercial who prepared for shopping by doing calisthenics. We wee doing sit-ups on the giant red ball outside the store. People on line were cracking up.”

It’s all business for Jason Soares, who said he has gotten great deals by giving up some time with his family to head out to stores such as Best Buy, known for door buster sales on high priced electronics. On average, Soares said he saves about $1500.

“I normally camp out every year at Best Buy. I go around 10 a.m to noon on Thanksgiving, set up my chair and sit and wait,” said Soares. “Last year was the first year they opened at midnight so I went a little earlier. I was number nine on line last year, all the other years I went I was number one on line.”

His family supports his camping endeavor by bringing his Thanksgiving meal to him on line.

“My family comes up and brings me my Thanksgiving meal all wrapped up, visits a bit with me and off they go. I give thanks all year long and have sit down meals with them year round so Thanksgiving is not as important as it is with other families,” said Soares.

Michelle Stein said this year she draws the line at retailers opening up at 8 and 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day and said not only won’t she shop there on the holiday; she will no longer support those businesses year round.

“I worked in retail when I was in college and you are required to be there all day before and almost until Christmas or you lose your job,” said Stein. “To have them work on Thanksgiving and to not allow them to spend time with their friends and family, allow them to rest, it is just not fair.”

Even Grimley said she draws the line at the early openings and said she is not willing to leave her family just to shop.

“We have traditions in my house on Thanksgiving. After our meal we build a gingerbread house and watch a movie,” she said. “It’s one thing to go out at midnight, when everyone is done and gone to bed, but for employees to have to leave and go to work on the holiday, it isn’t right.”

Stein fears that Thanksgiving, the only other holiday besides Christmas that stores close, will become another Columbus Day, another holiday that has lost its meaning, where people see it as a day off to hit the sales.

“There are 363 other days to shop. Do you really need to shop that day?”

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