As big-boxers prepare for a crush of shoppers, smaller stores say the day means little to them

Thanksgiving is the calm before the storm for major retail stores ramping up for Black Friday — the day after Thanksgiving and one of the busiest shopping days of the year. But what the day means to retailers appears to be proportionate to their size. While big stores make a big deal about the day, many small shops around town are running very low-key promotions or preparing for just another average day of business.

Connie Giblan, assistant manager for Tooele's Wal-Mart Supercenter, said she is getting geared up for the big day and expects tons of shoppers.

"I think Black Friday is going to be huge this year, and we've got a lot of great stuff including different deals and special buys," she said. "Our sales will start at 5 a.m., and our blockbuster deals will go on from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. During previous years we've had a ton of people come in at 5 a.m., so we expect to have a well-staffed store for this year."

Liddiard's Home Furnishings Manager J.R. Loertscher said that if this year's Black Friday is similar to last year's, people will be lining up in front of his store two hours before it opens at 8 a.m..

"Black Friday lasts for Friday and Saturday at our store, and our 'doorbuster' items, which we reserve for two hours, are usually gone after the first 30 minutes we're open on Friday," said Loertscher. "For the regular sale we'll have sofas, appliances, televisions and vacuums, as well as digital cameras with printers, and people will also be able to enter to win a Sony home theater system, including a television and sound system worth $3,000."

Frank Liddiard, general manager for Liddiard's, said competition between retailers and recent bad economic news make this year's Black Friday — so named because it is the day when most retailers look to go into the black for the year — a real make-or-break event for many stores.

"Black Friday keeps building up for us year after year, so we expect this year to be the biggest we've ever had for Black Friday, with probably some of the best deals we've ever had as well," said Liddiard. "We're giving everyone an opportunity to shop local and no reason to leave, and I hope all the other major local retailers will also make customers feel like they don't have to go to Salt Lake to shop. It will be interesting to see how it all turns out. If Black Friday goes well, we will do great with repeat business for this holiday season."

Because Black Friday has become such a widespread phenomenon, trucks now bring in a large amounts of discounted in-demand items specifically for one-to-two-day sales.

Tooele Home Depot Manager Brady Nelson said the store's Black Friday goods have already been delivered, and that employees are getting ready to set up for the massive sale day.

"There won't be anything brought out into the store until Wednesday night after we close, but I've already seen some good stuff that I would definitely buy," he said. "We have stuff like shop-vacs, barbecues, hand tools, power tools, grills, screwdriver sets, toasters, blenders, Prelit Miracle Trees, which are fake Christmas trees, and a handful of small appliances all labeled as Black Friday stuff with marked-down prices, and we have high quantities for each item. We won't even know the actual prices until they come into the computer system late Wednesday night."

Nelson said Home Depot, which will open its doors at 6 a.m. Friday, increases its merchandise list every year as Black Friday grows in importance.

"When we first started, we had only 10 items on the list, and now we have at least 40, with everything ranging from $5 to $100," he said. "Every year we sell out, so we have to keep adding more and more stuff to our list every year. You'd think it would be the small stuff that sells quicker, but it's the bigger things with the bigger discounts, like the televisions and shop-vacs, that go the fastest."

Nelson said he is excited to see how many people wait to get inside bright and early on Friday morning.

"It will be interesting to find out if people line up and wait, especially since we are the only retailer like us in Tooele and are more established now than we were last year," he said. "I expect people will come with a reason and know generally what they're going after."

Although stores have been known to be quite chaotic on Black Friday, Wal-Mart Supercenter Assistant Manager Amy Chidester said customers at her store have usually been patient and cordial with one another in past years.

"I've heard of fights breaking out with people trying to get items first or the last item available in other places like Salt Lake, but I think we've had good luck at our store because we have a really good public here in Tooele County," she said. "However, we'll have lines at different departments all over the store, just so people can find that one item they're looking for and be ready to grab it. Everything is on a first-come-first-serve basis."

However, not all local retailers will be going all-out or preparing for a big rush this Black Friday. Redux music store owner Bob Southwick said this Friday will be a pretty low-key, average day.

"We're not doing anything special for Black Friday, and in the past it has just been another average day for us," Southwick said. "Black Friday hasn't been a big weekend for us just because people usually head out to the malls."

Michelle Christensen, owner of the local clothing store Delicious, said Black Friday for her will also be a pretty relaxed occasion.

"Because we're mostly clothing, we'll just mostly do special shopping discounts and specials on sale items," she said. "We're not expecting a big rush like you would find at the bigger places like Wal-Mart or RC Willey."

Christensen said she is looking forward to December when many more shoppers will come in regularly to buy for Christmas.

"I'm focusing my attention on planning for our special December shopping, when more people come in and things aren't as chaotic with the other big stores, compared with Black Friday," she said. "Because Black Friday is hyped up so much with the big department stores, the smaller stores don't get a big of amount business that day — and it's unfortunate."  

Doug Radunich: dougrad@tooeletranscript.com