Kelsey Schneider arrived at the Cherry Creek mall bright and early, ready to throw elbows at anyone trying to beat her to the Black Friday deals. But she was disappointed.
“I felt like the crazy one,” the Glendale resident said. “Because I pulled into the parking garage and I’m like ready to go and I was like, ‘Oh, no one else came this early.’ ”
Schneider arrived at the parking gates and pulled her ticket at 6:59 a.m., promptly when the mall opened. She said she was prepared to show up even earlier if the mall had been open, but she’s thankful she didn’t.
“At 7 a.m., it was pretty empty, which was kind of a surprise because I mean, Black Friday used to be nuts,” she said. “So, maybe I’m the crazy one this year that woke up at 6:30 a.m.”
The anticipation of a crazy shopping experience, ultimately left flat, made Schneider feel a little disappointed. “I was like, ‘Ugh, I woke up this early for nothing,’ ” she said.
At least one shopper used Black Friday deals to lock down a gift for a special someone — an engagement ring for his boyfriend.
“I got an even better (deal) for Black Friday. … It’s like, above and beyond what I was expecting to get for him,” said Houston transplant Jonathan Vasillegas. “I’m excited. It’s something we’ve both been planning for a while.”
Arian Simpson, a sock clerk who arrived at work at a mall kiosk at 6:45 a.m., said it “hasn’t been crazy-crazy.” Simpson, who also worked until midnight last night, said: “I give it until about noon.”
Schneider said she shopped about 10 stores and estimated saving $75 — though, none of the items were gifts.
“I needed some shoes for a wedding and then I just kind of got lost in the sales and bought stuff that I definitely didn’t need,” Schneider said with a laugh.
But she was not the only shopper cashing in on the sales for personal gain.
Larry Cecil, a bricklayer visiting from Dodge City, Kan., was among the Bass Pro shoppers happy with the score he landed. He bought five pairs of RedHead denim jeans, saving $100 over regular retail.
“I’m done here and am heading over to Harbor Freight,” said Cecil, who took advantage of Friday’s discounts to stock up on things he needed rather than buy gifts to give.
Even though some shoppers got a bit sidetracked on who they were shopping for, they were still focused on deals.
“If it was anything less than 30 percent, I didn’t even go in the store,” Schneider said. “It’s just not worth it; they have those deals all the time.”
Other shoppers at Northfield lamented that they weren’t finding the bargains they had expected on Black Friday and that the whole shopping experience left them wanting more.
“We found a few things. I think Black Friday will eventually go away,” said Jillian Holiday, who came from Lubbock, Texas, to visit family in Sterling and made the drive down to Denver.
Schneider said she used to kick off Black Friday at 5:30 a.m.
“I don’t think people do that anymore because it’s not worth it,” she said. “People go online.”
Bloomberg reported that Amazon will account for about 44 percent of U.S. retail e-commerce sales this year, making it the undisputed leader online, according to EMarketer Inc. Though almost 90 percent of consumers plan to visit physical stores, many hope to complete their shopping lists online, a survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP found and Bloomberg reported.
Schneider said Cyber Monday is when she probably will do most of the shopping she was supposed to do for other people, before getting “lost in the sales.”
Some stores opened on Thanksgiving evening, and some started their Black Friday deals as early as Monday.
“You never know if they’re going to add something,” Schneider said. “That’s why I came, just in case they added something.”
With deals spread out over a longer time period and stores opening later, the perks seem to manifest in other ways.
“People were really polite today,” she said, chalking it up to people sleeping in. “Everyone’s in a decent mood, everyone’s walking off their turkey.”
Schneider noticed that mall traffic started picking up around 9 a.m. “Next year I know I can sleep in at least until 8 a.m. and I know nothing’s going to be picked over.”
In a few places, like the Bass Pro Shops at Northfield Stapleton, the Black Friday tradition was alive and kicking. A line stretching a thousand people long formed at 5 a.m. to take advantage of $10 deals on fleeces, flannel shirts, pajamas and jeans, said assistant manager Jackie Barnhart.
The door buster offerings lasted until noon, and Friday’s sales volume was on track to match or beat 2016, she said, as a steady stream of customers continued to flow in.
“Seems like this year will hang in there with the rest of them,” Barnhart said. “There is a good spirit out there.”
Schneider began her shopping early, and she was ready to call it quits early too.
“I’ve been shopping for three hours,” she said. “It’s killer. I’m just going to go home and take a nap, I’m exhausted.”