Black Friday shoppers remember more exciting times as they hunt for deals

Alyssa Villar and Patrick Sanchez just bought a new house, and were on the prowl for deals on Black Friday.

“We pretty much need everything,” said the 27-year-old Villar, who had an Instant Pot and a video-recording doorbell system in her shopping cart at Target in Clovis on Friday morning.

But the couple said there was no sense of urgency like past experiences with the shopping holiday.

“It’s not so much of a big deal now,” Sanchez said, pointing to online shopping. “It’s kind of been a normal day.”

While many local shoppers said there is less energy this year on the hunt for post-Thanksgiving sales, stores still saw crowds. Police cars could be seen outside of Sierra Vista and Fashion Fair malls, preparing for an influx of shoppers.

Sonia Gould was the 27th person in line at one register at JCPenney at the Fashion Fair mall on Friday, waiting to pay for sweaters and jewelry.

“I’m embarrassed to say, but we’re shopping for us,” she laughed with friends.

She woke up at 7 a.m. to shop and had already hit Stein Mart and Kohl’s before heading to the mall. She does the shopping trip every year, but said it’s not what it used to be.

“It’s died down,” she said. “It’s not as hectic.“

Jackie Sanchez, a Fresno City College student, said she was surprised to easily find a parking spot at Fashion Fair early Friday morning. She grew up waking up in the middle of the night to find deals with family.

“It’s not like, ‘Oh, my God, we have to go, I have to get this’ like it used to be,” she said. “Nobody really comes out anymore.”

Keeping spirits bright

But for some people, Black Friday hasn’t lost its magic.

Megan Ramirez was enthusiastically dancing in a bright red T-Rex costume at the entrance of Fashion Fair’s Hollister, where her shift started at 5:30 a.m.

The 19-year-old volunteered to take on the job, aiming to keep shoppers’ spirits up.

“I thought it would be so much fun,” she said through a flap of plastic in her inflatable costume. “I love to dance.”

Good shopping season

Early predictions from a number of industry groups suggest Americans are on track to spend more this holiday season than last — and about 164 million people said they planned to start shopping during the Thanksgiving weekend.

A National Retail Federation survey estimated that consumers will spend, on average, about $1,007 per shopper, which is about 4.1 percent more than last year.

The industry group’s survey dovetails with the results of a Reuters/Ipsos poll which found about 39 percent of Americans planned to take part in Black Friday shopping.