Retailers readying for Black Friday

CNJ staff photo: Benna Sayyed Chickie Enger, owner of Cool Stuff on Main Street, left, discusses Black Friday sales plans with her husband, Geary Enger, right on Monday. The Engers believe their 20 percent off sale could attract more shoppers.

Benna Sayyed and Alisa Boswell

Retailers are adding a variety of fresh marketing tactics to existing strategies to better serve shoppers this Black Friday.

Jared Zatorski, assistant store manager at Office Max, said in addition to a big push in television, newspaper and online advertising, his store is being specially merchandised to cater to Black Friday traffic.

He said the store will present its sale products to customers in a hands-on way to help customers make purchasing decisions faster.

“We’re going to be dividing the labor, having our employees specialize in certain departments to make sure that we can always keep someone attending customers with specific answers for specific lines of products,” Zatorski said.

Office Max will open its doors at 6 a.m. Friday.

JCPenney at North Plains Mall will open its doors at 4 a.m. to offer customers a chance to take advantage of its door buster sales, which will end at 1 p.m. Door busters offers shoppers merchandise at prices lower than all other Black Friday discounts.

“We’re in the gift-giving season. It’s all about saving money and we’re all about helping our customers save money,” said Jennifer L. Libbers, store manager.

Chickie Enger, owner of Cool Stuff on Main Street, opened her store five months ago after moving to Clovis from Flagstaff, Ariz.

“Those big stores have other things. I don’t sell 32-inch TVs. I sell eclectic, whimsical things that you wouldn’t find everywhere, something you might want to buy someone special,” Enger said.

All store items except jewelry will be 20 percent off. Enger makes most of the store’s items but she also sells art treasures she has collected.

“I’m trying to make the store really attractive for Black Friday. I think I heard somewhere that in two seconds when someone looks in your window, they decide if they want to come in or not,” Enger said.

Bealls in Portales is also gearing up for Black Friday with new and improved sales this year.

“We’re getting double if not triple merchandise than what we’ve had in previous years,” store manager Melissa Bonem said. “And we are carrying unique stuff we haven’t ever carried before, like luggage, a helicopter toy and a digital picture frame.”

Bonem said this year, the store also held a buy one, get one for $1 on store merchandise Wednesday as a prelude to Black Friday and will be opening at 6 a.m. Friday instead of 7 a.m.

Portales local John Wall is putting a new twist on Black Friday shopping with a new, unique business, the Doll House.

Wall will be selling dolls for $1 to $10 on Friday in an empty lot next to Bealls on 18th Street. The dolls will include porcelain, Barbie, Cabbage Patch, baby dolls and much more, ranging from the 1950s to present.