COAL TOWNSHIP - Black Friday may predominantly belong to the big retailers, but don't forget about the little guys, local business owners said.
"It is difficult to compete with them. Black Friday is definitely a corporate America day. It's not for small businesses," said Marty Sinopoli, owner of Gigi's Gift and Home Decor in The Plaza at Coal Township, Wednesday afternoon. "They can offer such lower prices because of mass quantity. We would be giving it away for free if we did that."
But that's not stopping her or several other local businesses.
Gigi's will open two hours earlier at 8 a.m. and will raffle a Christmas bucket filled with merchandise. They will also distribute free 2012 calender magnets and flashlights.
"People are already in the shopping mood, so they think why not go to their favorite stores," she said.
Jones Hardware, with locations in Shamokin, Coal Township and Herndon, will also have special hours and promotions for Black Friday shoppers, co-owner Kelly Avellino said.
The Shamokin location on Independence Street will open at 8 a.m., the Herndon location on Route 147 will be open at 7:30 a.m. and the Coal Township location on Route 61 will be open at 7 a.m.
There are several doorbusters at all locations, including $9.99 Craftsman flashlights, eight-piece screwdriver sets and wide-mouth tool bags, Radio Flyer wagons for $49.99 and tricycles for $39.99. Shoppers can also register to win a Craftsman five-drawer tool center.
On Saturday, the store will offer 50 percent off one regularly marked item priced at $30 or less. On Sunday, the store is offering $10 off purchases of $50 or more.
Paul Shuey, co-owner of Shuey Jewelers and Diamond Center in Shamokin, said he will open at the normal business hours of 9:30 a.m. and will not have a Black Friday special.
However, the store is running Cash for Christmas, purchasing gold and silver from customers. Shuey also has a 50 percent off sale on all watches during the holidays.
"I don't do any push because it's for the big guys. The little guys tend to get lost," he said.
It will be busy, but not until later in the morning when all the big retailers are visited first, he said.
Opening sooner
Area retailers are starting the Black Friday frenzy a bit early this year, hoping to make up for sluggish sales.
Walmart will be the first big retailer to open its doors on Black Friday deals by starting special sales at 10 p.m. today. However, these savings are for toys. Big ticket items that entice the masses such as electronics won't be on sale until midnight.
In the Monroe Marketplace, Target, Best Buy and Kohl's all open at midnight. In Shamokin Dam, K-Mart opens at 5 a.m.
The Susquehanna Valley Mall and Lycoming Mall will open at 5 a.m., but The Bon-Ton will open at midnight while the three other anchor stores, Boscov's, JC Penney and Sears will open at 4 a.m.
Gaming systems are popular Black Friday purchases, and many retailers are offering deals. At Best Buy, the Xbox 360 4GB is being sold with Kinect and a $100 gift card for $299.99. At Walmart, the console comes with Kinect, a one-month Xbox Live Gold membership and a $50 gift card for $199.96.
The Playstation 3 160GB will be sold with a controller, two games and a Playstation subscription for $199.99 at Best Buy. At Walmart, the console is being sold with a 30-day Playstation Plus Membership and two games for $199.96. Target is selling the same for $199.
For $99.96, Walmart is selling a limited edition Nintendo Wii with controller.
Consumers often walk away from stores with great deal on televisions on Black Friday. Walmart is selling a Samsung 51-inch 720p plasma for $498 and an Emerson 32-inch 720p LCD TV for $188. At Best Buy, consumers can buy a Sharp 42-inch Class LCD 1080p HDTV for $199.99 and a Dynex 24-inch Class LCD 1080p HDTV for $79.99. At Target, customers can buy an Element 40-inch 60Hz 1080p LCD for $265. At K-Mart, they can purchase a Seiki 40-inch Class LCD HDTV for a $299.99.
There are hundreds of other Black Friday deals in today's paper in various store ads. Don't forget to check online, because many retailers offer the same deals through their website.
Some websites such as http://bfads.net/ and http://www.blackfriday.info/ sort through these deals and display the best options.