Black Friday can be a family tradition
Black Friday, at least for some Butler County residents, is no longer a mad scramble to purchase a coveted item, but rather a way to spend time with family.
In the frigid parking lot of Cranberry Commons in Cranberry Township, shoppers returned to their vehicles Friday with bags from various stores and smiles on their faces.
Lynn and Bronson Clyde, a mother-and-son duo, walked out of Lowe's Home Improvement, one of their several stops of the day. Both Clydes said they saw Black Friday as a family event, rather than a day of consumerism.
“Normally, it's one of the only days we're off together,” Lynn Clyde said.
It also wasn't any specific advertisement that drew them to the store. Lynn Clyde said she'd been shopping with Bronson since he was 21 years old, and it's become somewhat of a tradition.
Plus, even on one of the colder days this year, it had other pluses.
“It's just a good way to get out of the house for a while,” Bronson Clyde added.
At the significantly warmer Clearview Mall in Center Township, hundreds of smiling shoppers enjoyed the Christmas carols playing on the mall's speakers, as well as the festive lights, gift-wrapping kiosk and the presence of the Jolly Old Elf himself, who listened to the wishes of dozens of children from his chair in center court.
Black Friday shoppers also enjoyed one another's company in the cheerful atmosphere of the mall.
“We come for family time, good deals and we like to people-watch,” said Kasie Williams of Jefferson Township.
This year, she was on the hunt for gifts of a particular type on Black Friday.
“I just spent, like, $80 on candles,” Williams said.
Her sister, Katie Williams of Center Township, said the duo shops with their mother every year.
“I think I've been in on every Black Friday,” she said.
Shopping in person
Online sales may dominate the Christmas gift marketplace these days. According to the National Retail Federation, more than 95 million consumers in the United States exclusively shopped online from Black Friday through Cyber Monday in 2020, comprising more than half of the 186 million Thanksgiving weekend shoppers.
But many say there's still good reason to go to a physical store.
Michele Schidemantle of Butler Township meets her sisters for breakfast each Black Friday, then they go out shopping. The siblings met at 8 a.m. for a hearty meal on Friday.
“When the kids were little, it was 6 a.m.,” Schidemantle added.
Becky Marshall, placing a grey Kohl's bag into the trunk of her vehicle in Cranberry, said going to a store in person is “tradition.”
Online shopping “takes the fun away,” she said.
Kelly Kreitzer summed up the Black Friday vibe at the Clearview Mall.
“I like the hustle and bustle, the Christmas decorations and the people in a good mood,” Kreitzer said.
Sales
For some, such as Scott Waitlevertch of Cranberry, Black Friday is a time to find deep discounts on goods for the family. Waitlevertch said he was drawn to various stores by circulars and spotting sales on items he knew would make good gifts.
Others, however, like seeing the discounts, but don't necessarily scout specifics out ahead of time.
Andrea Schaffer of Tarentum, pulling a pink rolling shopping cart down the hallways in Clearview Mall, said “there are a lot of good deals” at Clearview and it's less crowded than other retailers.
But she doesn't target certain items on sale.
“We just come and see what we can find,” Schaffer said. “It's something to do, and it's fun.”
Regardless of their reasoning, many Butler County consumers braved the seasonably chilly air and marked what Katie Williams said was a good way to get into the Christmas spirit.
“I think it starts the season,” she said. “Yesterday was a family day, and today has that Christmas feel.”
