It's off to the races

JCPenney manager Tina Gills had one word to describe Black Friday sales.

“Phenomenal,” she said after a busy morning of helping customers and straightening clothes racks.

Advertising special door-buster deals, the local department store opened at 4 a.m. Friday to long lines of shoppers eager to spend money.

“There were cars in the parking lot at 2:30 this morning,” she said.

Despite the sour economy, Gills said customers were in good spirits and were having fun while picking out Christmas gifts for friends and family as well as for themselves.

Don Luecke of Luecke Audio-Video-Appliances in Seymour said business was strong Friday.

“The traffic on electronics, especially TVs and Blu-Ray players, was particularly good,” Luecke said Friday night. “People were out and looking for deals.”

Luecke said shoppers appeared to be both cautious of their spending but also more interested in buying when compared to last year.

“People were buying. Absolutely,” he said. “‘Make a decision and buy something today’ was the approach most people took,” he said. “I think last year there was still a bit of uncertainty because of the economy.”

Luecke said heavy advertising on appliances such as washers and dryers appeared to have also spurred interest among shoppers in that category as well.

Is it going to be a strong shopping season?

“I’m cautious, but I’m pleased with what November’s shaping up to be,” Luecke said. “The season has some potential, although overall I think consumers are going to show some caution.

“I think we’re seeing more use of debit cards and cash transactions than a year ago or certainly two years ago when everyone was throwing everything on their credit cards,” Luecke said.

He also thinks more shoppers are doing their homework online, which is helping them make a decision on whether to shop locally or drive to the malls in Indianapolis and Louisville.

“They’re a little better prepared when they walk in the door,” Luecke said.

Gills shares that cautious optimism, saying she expects this holiday shopping season will be better than economists and many retailers have been predicting.

“People have been frugal and going without all year, and now they are ready to spend,” she said.

The store’s biggest sales were that first hour from 4 a.m. to 5 a.m., Gills added.

“People were here early for the door busters but they’ve been buying almost anything and everything,” she said. “We’ve been really busy.”

Besides clothing and boots, Gills said cookware and small kitchen appliances such as slow cookers, coffeemakers, toasters, toaster ovens and griddles were big sellers.

Jewelry and Colts merchandise also were popular with shoppers, she added.

One item the store sold out of was the Discovery Wonderwall Video Projector that projects video onto a blank wall. The item is regularly priced at $169.99 but was on sale for $68.88 from 4 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Selling for $3.99 a piece, The Hunk super firm pillows also sold out.

“We had about 300 on hand,” she said.

Gills said one of JCPenney’s holiday advertising themes this year is the “Joy of Giving.”

“I think people are really taking that to heart when they are buying,” she said.

Beth Piercefield and her aunt, Shirley Kirby, both of North Vernon, said this year was about giving people items they need, more than things they want.

“A lot of clothes and just practical things,” Piercefield said.

“The necessities. What people need,” Kirby added.

Neither hit the stores early, preferring to start shopping in the afternoon after the crowds had somewhat thinned.

“We knew it could wait,” Piercefield said. “I don’t think there is anything worth getting up that early for.”

Kirby said this year she had noticed stores rolling out their sales earlier, giving shoppers more time to pick up deals.

“I think it’s a good idea,” she said. “It gives them a better gauge on what people are going to spend.”

Not only were JCPenney employees trying to make the shopping experience fun for customers, they were having fun themselves.

“Since we had to be here so early we decided to make it fun and we are wearing our pajamas,” Gills said, showing off her red flannel Scottish terrier print pajama pants.

This is Gills’ 33rd Christmas season with JCPenney.

Like many other local shoppers, Donna Guinn of Seymour was an early bird.

“I’ve been out since last night,” she said.

Guinn headed to Wal-Mart at about 10:30 p.m. Thursday to pick up an iPod Touch.

“It’s all about getting the good bargains,” she said.

Lois Bryden and her daughter, Chloe, decided to wait until later in the afternoon to do some Christmas shopping.

“It’s nice because the parking and crowds aren’t bad at this time,” she said.

As for missing the door-buster sales, Lois said she wasn’t too worried.

“You can still get great deals,” she said.

Lois said they were out looking for deals on flannel pajama pants and a Christmas dress for Chloe as well as Christmas ornaments.

Hunting around in the bedding and linens department, 13-year-old Torrey Caccavale and 11-year-old Brendan Caccavale of Chicago were out shopping with their aunt, Sandra Hudson of Brownstown.

“They were down visiting for Thanksgiving and we thought we would go out and do a little Christmas shopping for the family,” Hudson said.

This is the first year the boys, along with their older sister, Alyssa Caccavale, 15, have shopped on Black Friday.

“I’m thinking about getting these slipper socks and maybe a pair of Christmas socks,” Alyssa said.

When asked who she was getting the items for, Alyssa said simply, “myself.”

“At 15, it’s always about her,” Hudson said, laughing.

Like other shoppers, Hudson said she was buying practical gifts this year.

“Something they need and can use like bedding or clothes,” she said.

Although many people were choosing to shop instead of getting their hair styled Friday, JCPenney stylist Alyssa Olson said the hair salon offered a lot of good ideas for Christmas presents and stocking stuffers.

“Our hottest item is the Chi hair straightener, because it’s on sale,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of people buying those. We also have gift cards and hair styling products that come in gift sets.”