November 28, 2008, was a day that everyone looked forward to and also dreaded the most. This was the day when people of all ages woke up early in the morning to make sure they got a great deal on a desired item.  Sure, most, if not all people, complained about waking up early after a nice Thanksgiving, but in the end, the prices people paid on items should have put a smile on their faces. What is this day? This day is known as “Black Friday.”

Over Thanksgiving break, my family was going to be one of the thousands of people who were going to be attending Black Friday. Waking up at 5 a.m. started the damper on the day, and it didn’t seem to get better. Our first store of choice was Best Buy, and then we were headed to the dreaded mall. Thankfully arriving thirty minutes before the opening time - 6 a.m. - we were going to actually be lucky this year and be closest to the door. The line started to grow around 5:35 a.m. and by 5:45 the line to get into Best Buy wrapped around the whole building and then grew towards an nearby building complex. Hundreds of people were in the line complaining that it was cold, it was ridiculous that the workers wouldn’t let us in already, and someone even said sarcastically, “this is going to be a real freaking great holiday!”

A nice man standing in line behind my family informed us that this was his third stop of the morning. He was looking forward to buying a flat screen television that was forty-six inches in length priced at $1999. He heard that there were only ten televisions of that type available in the store. We broke the bad news to him that we were hoping get the same exact thing.

After this conversation, it was game time! Six o’clock on the dot, the doors to Best Buy opened. People rushed inside, running all over the store hoping to get their items before anyone else could. Sprinting towards the televisions, we noticed that there were indeed only ten of our desired item left, but thankfully we were able to get our hands on one of them.

My sister, Jess, went to fetch help to carry our new television, and I was left alone to guard our treasure.  A woman with short brown hair dressed in a baggy sweatshirt, jeans, and white sneakers came up to me and asked if she could have the television. I told her “no,” but she got aggressive and tried to force me to give her the television.

Thankfully, the nice man from the line, who also got a hold of one of the ten televisions, saw what the woman was saying to me he said, “Look lady, she got here first – fair and square. Why don’t you just leave her alone and go find something else. Happy Holidays!” The woman walked away with a look of disgust on her face.

Moving on throughout the day, I would soon learn that Best Buy wasn’t going to be as bad as the mall. Walking into Express, it seemed to be even more crowded than the entire Best Buy! The lines for both the check-out and dressing rooms were long and snaked around the store.

Complaints could be heard about the store not having the right sizes, and the workers not working hard enough.

The manager of Express said, “We put extra people on the list to work today, and it is still a mob scene. I have certain workers helping the customers on the floor and I have other workers who are just simply making sure the store looks clean and friendly. People are coming here to pay lots of money so they should expect a clean store. No one likes walking into a filthy store.” Jess then had to go because some customer was complaining about the price of a shirt and called for the manager.

When we arrived home safe and sound, relatives in Long Island called to tell us Happy Holidays and then said, “Have you scene the news? At the WalMart here, people trampled over the greater – He’s dead.” 

No wonder it is called Black Friday - It is a dark day, and it seems like the Scrooge in people always come out this day, even though it’s supposed to be “the most wonderful time of the year.”

“You have to go into this with a game plan,” said Young.  “Every year I wake up and know exactly what I am looking for.  I look at the bigger items on my kids’ lists and hit those first.  But if I can find good deals on some other things too that’s great.”  The line to rush into the store has slowly started growing and growing.  “I got here about 4 a.m. and there were a few of us sitting in our cars keeping warm.  I saw some people start lining up at 4:30 so I figured I should start working my way in.”  Young has come every year alone braving the elements, the hysteria, and the lines.  “My wife stayed home with the kids,” confessed Young. “Plus she likes to wander and browse and you just can’t do that.  I am in an out as quickly as possible.”

Through the years there have been those certain toys that seem to be on every child’s wish list.  Whether it was The Cabbage Patch Dolls, Tickle Me Elmo, Power Rangers, Nintendo Wii, or the infamous Ferbies, Young has seen it all.  “I can remember buying those Cabbage Patch dolls for my daughter and the Ferbies and Power Rangers,” reminisced Young.  “Thankfully my kids are grown and now only want GPSes and clothes and cell phones.”

Surprisingly the doors opened at 4:50 a.m. and a sea of people swarmed the doors.  Young quickly took off toward the electronics and wasted no time in finding his Christmas goodies.  People were darting around in every direction, grabbing toys off shelves, and running to the cash registers.  Although a large majority of the early morning shoppers are adults getting their children’s Christmas gifts, there are some children tagging along as well.  “My kids never knew I even came out and shopped like this,” laughed Young.  “They were always home sound asleep.”

When one stops to watch the hustle and bustle of this annual shopping spree it’s easy to forget the reason for the season.  There are people snatching up the last toy on the shelf, pushing through a crowded aisle in a mad dash to the finish line – the check out counter - and angry people who came a little too late and find their child’s gift already sold out.

“For me I never really ran through the store or had to freak when an item was gone.  If the item was already sold out I tried the next store on my list that had the same item at a good buy,” continued Young, “I just wake up, line up, and do my thing.  I think people put too much into this.  I have my list of what the kids want and I just go down it.  If I can get all the things today, that’s great, but if not I will find it some other time I’m out.”

Young finished his shopping in record time this year.  “My kids really didn’t want toys or games this year, just electronics and movies which are quick grabs for me.”  As Young makes his way back to his car which is now frosted over in the early morning cold, he adds, “One last stop before home.”  As he pulls out of the lot he makes his usual stop at McDonalds for breakfast for his family when they finally wake up.  “In a way I kind of feel like Santa Clause. I get home and hide all the gifts, and then they wake up just in time to eat their McDonalds breakfast,”  Young added while chuckling, “ They ask me every year when did I wake up to get breakfast, and I just tell them a little while ago.  They have no idea what I was really doing.”

National statistics reported by the Gallup Poll show that, on average, Americans are spending more daily than before Thanksgiving, but Americans report lower average anticipated spending on gifts this year than in any previous year in which the measure has been updated. Also, the number of Americans reporting that they are spending less than usual is higher this year.

The Columbia Mall appears empty despite the approaching holiday.

Bloomsburg and the surrounding area may be very vulnerable to economic downturn – especially this one. Located in Bloomsburg is the Magee Reiter Automotive Plant. As of 2006, 586 people were employed at this location. In a community of just over 12,000 people, this car carpeting manufacturer serves as the community’s third-largest employer. These employees’ jobs will be directly influenced by the success or failure of the American automotive industry.

The region has also been an unsuccessful location for many stores, especially in the local mall where the selection of stores seems to change constantly. With the recent closure of KB Toys and Foot Locker and the substantial vacancies that have not been filled for years, it is a wonder whether an economic downturn and decreased consumer spending will lead more companies located in the area to weigh out the costs and benefits of their locations in the Bloomsburg Area.

Some employees at the Columbia Mall see the effects of the economic downturn. The night shift manager of the Mall Services station reported, “the nights have not been very busy.” He believes the traffic in the mall may have declined since last year. Meg Lahr, an employee at Bon-Ton, noticed less traffic this Christmas season as well, though she doesn’t solely blame the economy for the lack of turnout. “It might just be our mall,” she said.

Not all stores are feeling the strain, however. Fashion Bug, located on the shopping strip by Wal-Mart in the Buckhorn Plaza, has had promising sales so far this holiday season. The manager, Rebecca Lunger, said that the company has adjusted to the change in consumer spending by changing the way their stores run to make up for it. “We pushed our winter items like sweaters forward earlier,” she used as one example.

Working in the clothing industry is an advantage at this point, she described, because “luxury and novelty items are not doing so well right now.” People’s mentalities have changed to “if you don’t need it, don’t get it,” according to Lunger. Clothing can be a winter gift and can be considered a necessity which contributes to their steady sales.

If Black Friday is any indication of the coming shopping season at the store, the employees at Fashion Bug could be confident that their revised methods are working. Even though the company lowered Black Friday projections in anticipation of fewer shoppers, the store not only surpassed these projections but also surpassed last year’s sales as well.

“We opened up at 8am and had half of our day in by noon,” Lunger said. She reported that Wal-Mart, who had used such modified tactics as discounting merchandise earlier this year, had also done well this Black Friday.

Holiday decorations welcome Christmas shoppers at the Columbia Mall in Buckhorn.

Some stores on the strip did not have as much luck. The Shoe Dept, located between Fashion Bug and Wal-Mart, both of which reported good sales, did not have such positive results. Jamie Schirra, an employee of the Shoe Dept, said, “There wasn’t much foot-traffic. We had to cut some employees.”

Alex Martinez, a senior Bloomsburg University student, did not go shopping on Black Friday this year because she had to work. Her boyfriend, Carlos, however, went to the Steamtown Mall. “He said it was busy, but no one was carrying bags” she said, indicating that he believed few people had been purchasing items.

Zack Graybill, a senior at Bloomsburg University, reported that a factory laid off hundreds of people in his hometown of Kramer, located about 45 minutes southwest of Bloomsburg. “Many of my neighbors and friends are feeling constraints because of the layoffs at the factory” he said referring to the cabinet factor, Wood-Mode, located in Kramer.

Such factors as job security could affect the spending habits of local residents this holiday season, and many local stores are prepared for this decrease in consumer spending if they are not already witnessing it. The recession is stealing Christmas for many and leaving the Grinch, like many Americans, unemployed and hurting this holiday season.

          The official start of the Christmas season is here and no matter what Ralphie tells you it isn’t the display in the store window. Oh sure, that display is up, but the real start of the Christmas season was on Friday, November 28, also known as Black Friday. Black Friday is traditionally the day when retailers go from being in the red, a debt or loss, to being in the black, turning a profit.The origin of the name however, comes from right here in Pennsylvania.Philadelphia police and bus drivers referred to the day as Black Friday due to traffic and the sheer volume of pedestrians that clogged the streets during this time.The accounting origin of the name did not become popular until the 1980’s when it became better known.
          The shopping day of Black Friday marks the holiday rush that always precedes Christmas and generates massive amounts of revenue for retailers.Some will make all of their profits during this time.Others will generate the best numbers that they see all year.
          This year had the potential to offer poor sales, due to the state of the economy.However, 2008 had a stronger turnout, more spending, and more people doing all of their shopping this year than any other.This year there were a total of 172.9 million shoppers in stores according to the National Retail Foundation. This beat 2007’s former record of 147.3 million shoppers by a sizeable margin. The average amount of money spent also increased to $372.57 this year from last years $347.55.The amount of people who completed all of their shopping on Black Friday also increased from 8.2% to a whopping 10.6%. Most customers were found to buy lost cost items like CD’s, video games, DVD’s, and clothing. Sales numbers for those shopping online during Cyber Monday, the Monday after Black Friday, were reported as being lower than expected for the online components of brick and mortar stores, while online only venues reported an increase in traffic.

          The news was not all good however.In the weeks preceding Black Friday sales dropped sharply on most items, and the sale of electronics and luxury items plummeted 19 percent in the days leading up to the sales according to SpendingPulse. Others are frightened that the shorter shopping season, only 27 days, will cause a drop in last minute shoppers. Students at Bloomsburg University listed several reasons for not shopping on Black Friday that included crowds, the economy, and indecision on what to buy this year. Those that did shop said they found great deals at stores such as Old Navy, New York & Co., and Best Buy.
          One Best Buy employee who wishes to be unnamed was quoted as saying, “This year went really well. The line only wrapped around the store once, and the line to test computers only went to the front door. We didn’t need to call any ambulances or police, although we did have some minor disputes.”

No matter what you believe or why you celebrate one thing has always been tied into this jolly season. This one thing can cause a plethora of emotions that could be good, or that could also be bad. This one thing that has appeared every holiday season is, a present. Who knew that under all the wrapping paper and neatly tied ribbon something could hold so much power? People go to the ends of the earth, now thanks to online shopping, just to pick a gift for a friend, family member, co-worker, and anyone else they feel deserves a gift. But has gift-giving taken the main spotlight?

Flicking through the channels, Christmas commercials dominate the screen; a domination that started right before Halloween.

“Shirts for men and women only 10 dollars! And sweaters are only 15! Stop in to Old Navy this Christmas for great holiday savings,” the Old Navy commercial blared.

“Walmart has everything you need to make your child’s Christmas special. Come into Walmart, where Christmas cost less,” following right after the Old Navy commercial.

Toys for kids, clothes for all, and jewelry in every style are among the many items that may be the hot new item that everyone feels they need to have. Black Friday, a day dedicated to Christmas shopping, even has people changing their sleeping schedules just to wake up incredibly early and try to hunt down the big Christmas bargains. In Lancaster, Pa, the Rockvale Outlets opened at 12am on Black Friday just in hopes of attracting all of those shoppers that could not wait until 5am to start Christmas shopping. Do people care too much about the materialistic side of Christmas?

For Anna Castanaga, the materialistic side of Christmas no longer exists. To Castanaga, family is the greatest gift you will ever be given and should be cherished more then anything, even more then the newly popular Ipod, Blackberry, or pair of Ugg boots.

“People make too much about gift giving,” said Castanaga as she turned off the TV and walked into the kitchen. A gift should only be shared if there is real meaning behind it, not just because they feel pressured to.”

Castanaga walked to her refrigerator and pulled out some apple pies that she had baked just the day before. She explained that she gives them out to her neighbors as a way to show she is thinking of them during the holiday season. She feels this kind of gift allows each family to come together and enjoy, unlike a new cell phone that would isolate one family member away from another.

“I don’t go to all the early hours or the big sales at the mall,” said Castanaga. “To me a gift can be found all sorts of ways. It doesn’t have to be something that people can hold in there hands, but could be something like a favor.”

Offering kindness is one thing Castanaga feels should be passed around for Christmas.

“We should remember all of those who will need a little help this Christmas,” said Castanaga. “There is nothing more rewarding then giving the gift of hope and happiness.”

People need to focus on their families and count their blessings during the holiday season. There are many people out there who are less fortunate and do not have the money to purchase presents for their loved ones.

Christmas is a time to appreciate life and share the appreciation with others. Castanaga remembers the true meaning of Christmas, being able to come together with loved ones and celebrate their good fortunes. People should move passed the newest trends being advertised this and every holiday season, and remember why the Christmas season really is “the most wonderful time of the year.”

Sale signs fill BoscovsCars fill the parking lot on Black Friday at Park City Center in Lancaster, Pa.