Savvy shoppers scout for low-price Turkey Day, Black Friday deals

Shopping for great deals obviously takes some keen strategy, and in the case of Jessica Silvis and Elise Russell, some physical legwork and basic math skills.

The Columbus residents were in the Best Buy electronics store on Manchester Expressway Tuesday scouting for a 50-inch Sharp smart television that they hope to snag as a Thanksgiving Day doorbuster for $179.99, a $320 savings off the suggested retail price.

“We were trying to see how many TVs were out in the open so we could get a count and know if we need to be with the people up here at 2 o’clock in the afternoon lining up for the opening doors at 5 or not. So we came here to literally find out how many TVs they had,” said Silvis, noting the duo will be back Thursday in an attempt to purchase the television.

Silvis said the 4K TV, which has built-in Roku, is the only item on her holiday wish list.

“I think electronics is what we do for the Black Friday shopping. Everything else we just do throughout the year or online later,” she said. “It’s the Sharp that’s going to be the cheapest one this year. We’re not into a brand name like Samsung or Sony. We’re looking for the cheapest and the biggest at this point.”

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Then there is Kenneth Walker, who was in the store Tuesday to buy a remote control, but happened to be browsing around for things he might find interesting enough to purchase during the holidays. He spotted a Home Mini device. Asked what it was, he wasn’t sure.

“I see the commercials showing it a lot. You can ask it questions, make phone calls and it will remind you of things,” said Walker, who lives near Manchester, Ga., and does all of his in-person shopping in Columbus.

For the holidays, however, he typically makes about 80 percent of purchases online, estimating he will be buying for about 10 to 12 people this season on sites such as Amazon and Walmart.com. Why does he prefer online shopping?

“The convenience of not being in a crowd, not having to find parking spots,” he said. And, of course, the free shipping that many retailers now offer.

Blending the brick-and-mortar experience with online shopping is one of the things that Best Buy assistant store manager Charlie Hill said that his company has gotten very good at in recent years.

“They can come shop with us traditionally. They can order online and have it shipped to them. They can order online and have it shipped to the store,” he said. “Even if you order online, you can still return it back to the store. It’s just having a lot more options.

While retailers opening on Thanksgiving Day is a fairly recent development, Hill said this will be the ninth year he has taken part as an employee in the annual Black Friday shopping spree. He said the experience actually has become enjoyable for him and others.

“I think a lot of people who work in retail, especially people who have worked in it for years, they enjoy this with all of the excitement and the deals and the customers,” the manager said. “Over the years, I’ve always been super happy with the customers who come to our store. They tend to be really nice people, really upbeat people.”

The preparation for the electronics store employees includes organizing the merchandise, including the doorbusters that can only be purchased by those walking through the doors and into the Best Buy stores. Workers also will have scheduled breaks and lunches to help them keep their energy levels high, with food and drinks set aside for hydration and sustenance.

For those shopping with the retailer, Hill said some of the more popular items this year will be anything connected to setting up a smarter home, such as Amazon Echo, a connectivity device. There also are smart doorbells and thermostats and switches that can be voice controlled and accessed through smartphones.

“Essentially, you’re getting what is a pretty legitimate home automation system that’s now attainable for generally normal people. It’s not crazy expensive anymore,” he said.

Also popular again this year will be those high-flying drones, which also are beginning to drop in price, he said. Virtually reality headsets also are a biggie for gift givers.

“You just take your phone and pop into the inside of it,” the manager said. “You’re primarily buying the optics of it, and there are lots of apps out there where you can ride roller-coasters or walk around the streets of Paris. Samsung has even released a 360-degree camera so that you can video your own stuff.”

And, of course, smartphones will also be high on the wish list of individuals buying for themselves and others, he said. That includes the newly released flagship Apple product, the iPhone X, and the popular Samsung 8. The advice from Hill there is to make a reservation for one of the phones as early as possible to help ensure its purchase by Christmas.

Hill said Best Buy will open its doors at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving, with shoppers expected to begin arriving steadily earlier in the afternoon so they can snag a ticket for one of the limited doorbuster items they want. Tickets will be distributed starting around 3 p.m., he said, depending on the crowd size.

“That’s one of our big crowd control measures is making sure that we’re handing out those tickets so no one is rushing to go get something,” he said. “We’re very good about having extra security here and extra staff on hand and our barricades in place.”

Best Buy closes at 1 a.m. Friday, then reopens at 8 a.m. later that morning.

Next door at Peachtree Mall, the city’s only indoor shopping center, the main doors will open at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving, said general manager TaVida Rice, then close at midnight before reopening 6 a.m. Friday.

She noted that retailers with their own exterior entrances have additional options. While Dillard’s and the fairly new At Home store will not open on Thanksgiving, JCPenney is scheduled to open at 2 p.m. Thursday and remain in operation into Friday night. Macy’s will open at 5 p.m. Thursday, then close at 2 a.m. before reopening later on Black Friday morning.

This is not the first Black Friday rodeo for Rice, who has been in the mall management industry going on 13 years. She said the center is ready for the hectic holiday shopping rush and festivities. That includes some new events through the season, such as music and Mrs. Claus story time readings to children on Nov. 30 and Dec. 12 in the Macy’s wing court.

“We just make sure that we’re prepared, make sure that we know what all of our retailers need, and make sure we have the proper security coverage,” she said. “Just being prepared is what I focus on.”

This story was originally published November 22, 2017 at 2:08 PM with the headline "Savvy shoppers scout for low-price Turkey Day, Black Friday deals."