Shoppers turn out for Black Friday bargains

SANDPOINT - Despite a shaky economy and cold weather, Bonner County shoppers turned out in full force for Black Friday bargains.

Historically, the Friday following Thanksgiving marks the first day of holiday shopping season, but widespread worries about the economy threatened to make this year's Black Friday a dud.

While it might not set any sales records, several local retailers said they were pleasantly surprised by the number of shoppers who braved Friday morning's chilly weather to come out and shop.

Staples assistant manager James Chapman has been with the company for 10 years and has been part of nearly as many Black Fridays. He said this Black Friday is unlikely to break any records but added sales at the store were brisk.

"We had a line out there at 6 a.m., and as soon as we opened about 50 people came rushing in," Chapman said.

Chapman said the store sold out of a variety of items, but said laptops and flat screen monitors were the hot ticket of the day.

As at Staples, sales at JC Penny were good but not great, according to store manager Keith Johnson. Johnson said the day - which began at 4 a.m. - started off with a steady but not overwhelming stream of customers that thinned out by early afternoon. 

"This is normally our biggest sales day, and most of the business - I'd say about 75 percent - is done before 1-1:30 p.m.," Johnson said.

Perhaps the busiest store in town Friday was Big 5 Sporting Goods, which also was celebrating its grand opening. Store manager Matt Jacob said the day exceeded expectations.

"It's been absolutely crazy," Jacob said. "I had no idea there were this many people in Sandpoint."

Jacob, who has taken part in numerous Black Fridays at the Coeur d'Alene Big 5, said 2008 stacks up with anything he's seen before.

"This is definitely right there with the other (Black Fridays)," Jacob said. "It's been insanely busy."

Despite snow flurries and cold weather, foot traffic in downtown Sandpoint was fairly steady, according to several downtown business owners.

Ray Smith, owner of Athlete's Choice, said Friday sales weren't at par with previous years, but said there was a constant flow of customers throughout the corridor.

That sentiment was echoed by Kathy Hubbard, owner of Just Clever in the Cedar Street Bridge Market. By 3 p.m., Hubbard had seen 120 customers, which she described as great business for an average day but a drop from last year's Black Friday.

The Daily Bee saw brisk sales of a history book and its latest "Santa-Point, Idaho-ho-ho" postcards, with one person buying 100 and others picking up as many as 25 each, said customer service representative Jennifer Albert.

Albert, who said the day was busier than she had anticipated, also took numerous prepublication orders for Bob Gunter's upcoming "People I Have Met" book.