The holiday shopping season got off to its traditional start at East Hawaii retail spots with a bevy of Thanksgiving and Black Friday promotions, door busters and all manner of marketing hoopla. ADVERTISING The holiday shopping season got off to
The holiday shopping season got off to its traditional start at East Hawaii retail spots with a bevy of Thanksgiving and Black Friday promotions, door busters and all manner of marketing hoopla.
As has been the case across the country for several years now, many area stores opened their doors Thursday, offering deep discounts on popular items, along with other incentives to capture the attention of holiday shoppers. Big-box retailers Sears, Target, Macy’s, Walmart and Sports Authority, among others, all began offering holiday specials at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving.
By Friday afternoon, many of the most die-hard shoppers already were home with their hard-won hordes of gifts, but thousands remained at the various shopping centers near Prince Kuhio Plaza, going through the aisles of merchandise with a fine-toothed comb.
Hilo residents Ashlynn Salvador and Sheena Moreira looked immaculate as they manned the lipstick counter at Macy’s on Friday, despite the flurry of activity around them as consumers hunted for the best deals and corraled their children while waiting in the long lines in front of cash registers.
“They’re looking for all the free stuff,” said Moreira. “That’s what’s most popular. We have a buy-one-get-one-half-off sale going on.”
Salvador, who worked a shift all night at Icings in the mall before reporting for her shift at Macy’s, said she hadn’t been to sleep yet.
“It was crazy,” she said of the moment when the doors opened at 6 p.m. Thursday at Icings. “All I could hear was the sound of all the shoes running, as all the people came running in.”
Hydroflasks and American Eagle merchandise were the big sellers as a result of a special promotion, and shoppers made a beeline for them. American Eagle was offering a $10 gift card to the first 100 shoppers, and consumers also earned a free fleece blanket if they spent $65 or more.
At Macy’s, aisles featured small red and white cards bearing QR codes that allowed shoppers to scan them and access a special SpongeBob Squarepants video game that offered gift cards of between $10 and $250.
Hawaiian Paradise Park resident Melanie Pawai made her way out to the parking lot in front of Macy’s with several bags dangling from her arms.
“I had a good day today,” she said. “I just pulled up around 12:15, walked in and grabbed what I needed. It wasn’t bad at all.”
Pawaii said this was her first Black Friday shopping excursion, and she had been prepared for the worst.
“I’ve heard how crazy it can be, but everyone here was very calm,” she said. “I went in knowing what I wanted and found them pretty easily. And the lines looked long, but they moved quickly.”
The rush at Walmart appeared to have slowed by 1 p.m. Friday. One employee was overheard telling a shopper that Thursday evening was a far different scene.
“Last night was a madhouse,” she said. “This is much better.”
Swarms of keiki flitted back and forth among the toy aisles, returning to their parents’ carts bearing handfuls of toys clutched to their chests, resembling little worker bees returning to the hive. Most were turned away with an impatient wave or a short word, and the kids hung their heads and shuffled away to return the coveted items to the shelves.
One particularly dejected little girl was reassured by a woman who appeared to be her mother.
“Santa has plans,” she said to the retreating girl’s back.
As shoppers picked over the electronics section, Walmart associates restocked mid-aisle displays of Samsung 32-inch flat-screen TVs and a karaoke machine branded with the name of the wildly popular children’s movie “Frozen.”
Down the street at Target, Carrie Duncan-Berry pushed a cart holding a flatscreen TV as she and her husband browsed.
Usually, she avoids Black Friday because of the crowds, she said, but since most of the deals appeared to be starting Thursday, she thought she’d miss the rush.
“We had no intent on doing this and we came in thinking all the crowds would be gone,” she said.
Target was busy in the afternoon, but not enough to make the experience difficult.
On why she chose not to shop Thursday, Duncan-Berry said she’d rather celebrate the holiday.
“I don’t want to leave Thanksgiving dinner. I don’t want to leave our friends,” she said.
On the west side of the island, shoppers also were out in force beginning Thanksgiving Day.
At Target, the line stretched around the building just after meal time Thursday and at Sports Authority, shoppers lined up to take advantage of buy-one-get-one-free specials.
Store managers in Kailua-Kona reported good sales volume Friday morning, which follows a national trend of a brisk kickoff to holiday business.
“It’s been a great start to the season,” said Robert O’Meara, manager of Kmart. “The customers have been super, and our merchandise availability has been great.”
Electronics and steep price reductions on televisions, plus 30 percent off in the toy department, brought a steady stream of shoppers to Kmart, which offered Thanksgiving morning doorbusters up until 5 p.m., then started the bargains again at 7 p.m.
Away from the crowds and the packed parking lots at the larger retailers, however, Black Friday lost some of its luster.
Lilian Storino, who sells jewelry at Hilo Farmers Market, said foot traffic was slower than normal.
“Today? Slow day,” she said as she packed up her wares. “… I didn’t see them (shoppers). Even the cruise ship people are not here.”
Staff writers Tom Callis and Bret Yager contributed to this report.
Email Colin M. Stewart at cstewart@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
