Deborah Phinisey stacked a pile of men’s button-up shirts on a table in the Belk men’s department on Tuesday in preparation for Belk’s Black Friday sale.
Phinisey, a sales team manager for the cosmetics and men’s departments, has participated in the store’s Black Friday events for 30 years.
But she said her most memorable Black Friday was a couple of years ago when the store’s $19.99 boots were placed at the front door instead of the center of the store where they’re now located.
“The boots were such a hot item that we had people standing on tables, pushing and shoving to get the $19.99 boots. We were just like, ‘I cannot believe this,'” Phinisey said. “It was chaotic.”
Things have changed now.
On the store’s biggest day of the year — because of $19.99 boots and $34.99 five-piece luggage sets — store manager Larry Armstrong said a lot of preparation goes into keeping crowds manageable during the Black Friday sale days on Thursday and Friday.
Armstrong said he hired at least 50 holiday employees to serve customers in addition to his regular staff, and several police officers are going to be inside the store and outside to man the crowd of about 3,000 expected shoppers.
He said three lines will form to get inside the store.
The two lines coming through the front door — one for gift cards and one for entrance to get sale items — will wrap around the parking lot and back up to the Longhorn’s restaurant that sits in front of the store, he said.
The second line for sale items will form at the back door and back up past Dick’s Sporting Goods next door and as far back as where the old theater used to be, Armstrong said.
“We bring in Porta Potties. We bring in food…because they’re here like four hours before the door opens,” he said.
Reed’s owner Lex Jackson said 75 to 100 customers will line up along the sidewalk outside in advance of his store’s hours on Friday, too.
The Columbus and Starkville stores will open at 8 a.m. on Friday, sticking to Black Friday tradition and giving employees Thanksgiving Day off.
He said there’s not much in the way of preparation — just adding sale signs on the racks and adding about a third more employees.
But “it’s a real good day. The second the doors open, they’re in here,” Jackson said. “It’s considered the start of Christmas shopping, but it’s not the best day of the year for us because it seems like…every year the seven or eight days before Christmas becomes even bigger.”
But Black Friday is a big deal for stores in Leigh Mall.
The mall will be open for Black Friday on Thanksgiving Day from 6 p.m. to midnight and on Friday from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Different stores have different hours set during those times.
Santa will arrive at the mall on Friday at 11 a.m. for pictures.
“We’re expecting a good crowd,” said mall property manager Gail Culpepper.
While stores around Columbus anticipate larger crowds than on regular business days, the crowds may not be as big as in year’s past because stores are starting Black Friday shopping one to two days in advance. Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday diminish the crowds as well.
But that won’t stop many people from jumping on the sales, including Phinisey. She said she always shops Black Friday herself.
“I think a customer enjoys coming out shopping for Black Friday because they look at it as a tradition. Everybody gets up and goes shopping on Black Friday.”
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