HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — The state’s largest shopping centers and leading retailers are preparing to welcome the crowds for post-Thanksgiving shopping.
While online shopping is more popular than ever, West Virginia Retailers Association President Bridget Lambert says Black Friday is still at the forefront of her mind.
“It is a make or break holiday,” Lambert said on MetroNews Talkline. “In the past few years, it has started spreading out a little bit further. People are shopping earlier in the year, specifically budget conscious shoppers. They will spread their holiday shopping out a little bit more, but Black Friday still remains the golden day for retailers.”
Meadowbrook Mall marketing director Noah Levy says they’ve already seen steady crowds in the weeks leading up to Black Friday.
“Our Christmas shopping season pretty much began on November 1st. We had our tree up and ready to be decorated and the crowds were very soon to follow. We’ve been having really busy weekdays, weekends and all sorts of things,” Levy said.
Margi Valdez, marketing director at the Huntington Mall, says they too have seen the crowds get an early start.
“We’ve noticed that the traffic has been building over the month,” Valdez told MetroNews. “We expect an even bigger crowd than last year. Over 100,000 for sure.”
According to Lambert, folks are less likely to be waiting in line for hours and fighting others for a product like they might have 15 years ago, but shoppers still love the Black Friday deals that are in-person.
“Not as much as they used to, but you still have a hardcore group of consumers who love to look at the sales,” Lambert said. “It’s even easier now to price shop because you can go online and price shop on different sites, look for the best deals, make your list and go out there and wait for the good deals when the stores open.”
To prepare for the shopping madness, Levy says mall administrators and store managers have to start communicating with their workers early.
“We talk at least in June or July about what our Black Friday is going to look like, what the rest of the center court will be filled with, what holiday tenants are coming in and doing a bunch of different activities,” Levy said.
“As far as specifically Black Friday, we get the word out and we get the word out quick to everybody,” he continued.
Levy says it’s important for the mall to take pride in its holiday experience because they serve a large region of shoppers.
“We have a lot of people that are driving a good amount a way out to come to Meadowbrook Mall. We’re talking at least an hour or an hour and a half for some people who are coming out for holiday shopping and for Black Friday,” he said. “That’s why we put so much energy into our property. We want to make sure that when people are driving as far away as they do to come to Meadowbrook Mall, they’re getting the most out of their shopping experience.”
Both the Meadowbrook Mall and the Huntington Mall will be opening at 6 a.m. on Friday.