Black Friday remains low-key in Merced

Merced shoppers of all ages braved the cold on Black Friday morning to find a relatively calm holiday shopping experience.

Stores in Merced such as Target, Best Buy and Kohl’s opened at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving, and some shoppers were still going more than 12 hours later on Black Friday.

Michelle Siler, 34, and her mother, Cindy Blackmore, began their morning at 6 a.m. Friday, shopping at stores in the Merced Mall. For them, shopping on Black Friday is a tradition with a twist. In the past, they’ve started on Thanksgiving. But, this year, they took a stance and waited until Friday and stayed in Merced.

“It’s not fair. People need a day off,” Blackmore, 57, said about retail employees working on Thanksgiving. “I remember when I was growing up, 7-Eleven was the only thing open.”

The mother-daughter duo said this year’s shopping experience was one of the best they’ve had because it was so mellow. They started when the mall opened and hit Target, JCPenney and Kohl’s. They were happy to bypass crowds and long lines.

“Who wants to go to Fresno or Modesto when you can just stay here in Merced?” Blackmore said. “It’s not crazy here.”

Black Friday remains the busiest shopping day of the year with the highest sales for retailers, according to ShopperTrak, a retail researcher. The National Retail Federation estimated that 135.8 million shoppers would hit stores Thanksgiving weekend, most of them on Black Friday.

One specific item didn’t dominate the retail scene this year, and bargains were still most important to shoppers in early surveys, ShopperTrak noted.

Over the years, Black Friday has crept into the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, with stores opening earlier, and lingering until the following week, with many businesses and shoppers participating in Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. This year, many stores didn’t bump up the time doors opened, as they had in the past, and some even remained closed.

In Merced, Black Friday shoppers bought items for themselves as well as Christmas gifts.

Diego Del Toro, his brother Joel and their friend Guillermo Orozco were at Best Buy on Friday morning for one reason: A 40-inch Samsung television and Xbox One bundle for $500.

The teens arrived at the electronics retailer in Merced at 3:30 a.m. to stand in line. The boys took shifts waiting in line and keeping warm in the car through the early morning hours. When the doors to Best Buy opened at 8 a.m., they were the first group in the store. They immediately veered right to stake out their bundle deal, which sold out in five minutes, according to store general manager Derek Muller.

The Del Toro brothers and Orozco also stocked up on other Xbox accessories, such as controls and games. But, the boys didn’t plan to spend the rest of the day in front of the TV playing video games – they looked forward to a nap.

About 50 employees were on hand at Best Buy on Friday. The store was open Thanksgiving night, too.

Muller said the bundle TV and Xbox deal was most popular at Best Buy, followed by $20 printers and flash drives.

“Those are flying off the shelves,” he said.

At Kohl’s, Sergio and Anessia Soria were finishing up their Christmas shopping about 9 a.m. They were hunting for secret Santa items for other adults.

“Adults are harder to shop for than kids,” Anessia, 33, said.

Kohl’s manager Kaylee Ussery said this year’s Black Friday event wasn’t much different than in years past. Holiday favorites, such as warm-weather clothing and toys, remained a staple for the retailer. This year, $99 televisions and hover boards sold quickly.

The Sorias began their holiday shopping in September, putting gifts for children on layaway and spreading out their spending.

“It’s better to get it done early and spread it out so you don’t spend a grand at once,” Anessia said.

Sergio started shopping at 2 a.m. at Target. He, too, tried to avoid crowds and wasn’t looking for hot-ticket items.

“Nothing screams ‘Buy me,’ ” he said.

This story was originally published November 27, 2015 at 1:27 PM with the headline "Black Friday remains low-key in Merced."