Mahoning Valley retailers gear up for five-day shopping spree
By JORDYN GRZELEWSKI
jgrzelewski@vindy.com
YOUNGSTOWN
By the time you’ve finished your Thanksgiving meal on Thursday, many Mahoning Valley retailers will be opening their doors to kick off the busiest shopping time of the year.
Retailers such as Best Buy, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Ulta Beauty will get a jump on Black Friday, opening Thursday evening then closing for a few hours before the start of early-morning Black Friday shopping.
Although Black Friday has evolved over the years, the National Retail Federation says it will still be a major event this year. Between Thursday and Monday, the NRF reports 164 million people plan to shop online or in stores.
“Whether it’s heading to the stores after finishing their turkey or going online on Cyber Monday, consumers will be shopping all weekend and retailers will be ready to meet the demand,” NRF President/CEO Matthew Shay said.
The NRF estimates 116 million people in the U.S. plan to shop on Black Friday, while about 34 million plan to shop on Thanksgiving; 67 million on Small Business Saturday; 32 million on Sunday; and 75 million online on Cyber Monday.
YM Camera in Boardman, a family business that started in 1951, will not be open on Thanksgiving, but is offering a variety of deals throughout the week and opening early on Friday, at 8 a.m..
Owner Jim Yankush, whose father founded the business, said Black Friday at first wasn’t a big deal for the store; then there was a time when people would line up outside the door. These days, the shopping frenzy is spread out over multiple days, which he prefers.
Yankush runs the store with his son, Robby Yankush. The pair said YM Camera is a great place to do some holiday shopping, especially because you can’t beat their customer service. If you purchase a camera as a holiday gift, the camera even comes with free admission to some classes, plus service and support from the store.
“We really come with our cameras and we’re really passionate about our customers learning photography,” said Robby. “We’re not a vending machine.”
While it might seem easy to purchase your equipment online, Robby said YM Camera’s customers benefit from the time and expertise staff members put into each interaction.
The Southern Park and Eastwood malls plan to make shopping a festive experience.
The Southern Park Mall in Boardman, which is open 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Thanksgiving and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, will kick off holiday events this week. Santa Claus will be at the mall Friday through Sunday and taking pictures with pets from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday. A shopping spree giveaway will kick off Friday.
“We expect busy guest traffic throughout the entire holiday season. Black Friday is part of that multi-day shopping event that begins [Thursday],” said Lori Reda, the mall’s marketing director. “It’s a busy time of the year, but it’s a time also where you can create memories with your family, your friends, to come out and enjoy the holiday atmosphere.”
Joe Bell, director of corporate communications for the Cafaro Co., owner of the Eastwood Mall complex in Niles, notes that for many people, Thanksgiving and Black Friday shopping is about more than the deals.
“People ask all the time, ‘Is it necessary to be open?’” he said. “What we’ve seen in recent years is more and more people incorporating a shopping expedition into their Thanksgiving experience.”
The Eastwood Mall, open from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Thursday, will be giving away bags filled with special offers and prizes to the first 500 people in line when the doors open. On Friday, the doors open at 6 a.m.; the first 300 in line will receive candy bars with vouchers for mall gift cards.
The Eastwood Mall is also promoting Small Business Saturday, noting stores such as Gracylane, Everything Buckeyes, Coral Rose Boutique and others in the mall are operated by local business owners. Visit eastwoodmall.com for a week-by-week schedule of holiday hours.
“People enjoy the atmosphere,” said Bell. “It’s very festive. There’s music. There’s prize giveaways. The crowd comes out there to enjoy the experience of being with other people on a great American holiday.”