Metro Detroiters Line Up For The Best Black Friday Deals At Wide Variety Of Retailers
LIVONIA (WWJ) -- Black Friday is changing. Some reports say foot traffic in the traditional places -- malls, big boxes, and chain stores -- appears down; the speculation is Thanksgiving Day Thursday sales and online shopping has stolen some of the thunder from Black Friday.
But you wouldn't know it by crowds at some less-than-typical Black Friday stores, like Menards in Livonia. Don Grant of Detroit was among many in the crowd at the recently-opened Menards on Middlebelt off I-96 and Schoolcraft Road.
"They had a sales thing going on," Grant said. "Why I came is because they had a Shop-Vac, but they were all out of them. They said they sold out like 20 minutes after they opened."
Lorrie Drees said that this was her first Black Friday at the home, goods and hardware store, and didn't sound like it would be her last.
"My son actually wanted a turntable that they had, and then my nephew -- I called him because he was looking for this bear for his girlfriend," Drees said, whose cart was full with the 4-to-5-foot stuffed bear perched on top.
Not all of the bargain hunters were at the big box and chain-stores. Ebony West of Detroit shopped at the new Goodwill store right next door to Menards.
"I don't do Black Friday as far as Best Buy or Walmart, I'm not interested in trying to get the electronics and all of that kind of stuff," West said. "I come to Goodwill for all of the sales."
Two shoppers at Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills, Brianna and Dre, were out early trying to get a 55 inch television at Meijer earlier in the morning.
"The original price was $599, then it was on sale for $399 and if you were signed up as a member with Meijer, you got an additional $75 off," Brianna said. "It was okay, they kind of had high security out there so everything was okay, just the line was crazy -- waiting to get in there, trying to shop through the rampage."
One worker at a Toys R' Us in Southfield said that the hot items this year are anything related to Disney's Frozen, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Xbox and Playstation.
