With the hum of cash registers ringing in the background, JoAnn Bliss, Herb Philipson’s store manager, paused for a moment Friday to take stock of what just happened.
Still obviously aflutter from the early-morning Black Friday rush, Bliss said at least 320 shoppers passed through the doors of her store, off State Street in the village of Herkimer, in the first 15 minutes of a 30-percent off one item coupon sale that ran from 6 to 11 a.m.
“I stopped counting after around 320 people,” she said, saying the stream of bargain hunters continued pretty steadily throughout the morning.
Bliss said, after very early estimates, the store seemed on pace to pass last year’s Black Friday sales.
But the good start to the holiday shopping season didn’t come without signs of the impact of the lingering recession economy.
The customers, even more than in recent years, have said they’re trying to take advantage of good deals to get a lot of their shopping done today, Bliss said, explaining her thoughts on the spike in Black Friday sales.
As another sign of the financial times, people are paying with “more cash than credit cards this year,” she added.
Some shoppers, however, said they approached the holiday season as a much-needed splurge.
“For Christmas, I spend the money,” said Kelly Walter, of Fort Plain. “I don’t let [the economy] get to me; the bills are going to be there,” she added.
See the whole story in Saturday's edition of The Evening Telegram.
