CBS 7 - Your Eye on West Texas

Black Friday Offers More This Year 11/27/09

Shelley Childers
CBS 7 News
November 27, 2009

Odessa, Texas - "We got up at around 4:30," said one early shopper at Sears this morning.

It was an early morning for some and a late evening for others.

"We were gonna be up here at 8:00, and we decided to drive by and saw that there was already a line forming so my wife kicked me out and said wait in line." David Zentgraf, an early shopper at Best Buy, said.

But it seemed everybody had a strategy on how to get that great Black Friday deal, and in this economy even big business was planning ahead.

"I think a lot of strategy has changed with a lot of big companies because of the economy, trying to get that person in there. You get this customer in here and you gotta keep them because that might be your only shot to get that customer." Sears store manager in Odessa, Leonard Estrada, said.

Sears opened its doors this morning at 4:00 am, earlier than it has ever done before, trying to get momentum on competition like Walmart and Best Buy who both opened at 5:00 am.

Competing for shoppers who don't have as much to spend this year has sparked creative offers.

"We offer lay-away this year which is new, even on-line you can shop at lay-away, so there's a lot of ways you can shop at Sears and we can get it done for you," said Estrada.

"I mean really because of the recession not everyone is making as much money, so everywhere you can save a buck is what you want to do," Zentgraf explained.

Saving money, even if it means spending hours on
Thanksgiving, outside in very chilly temperatures.

"This is the first year we've waited like this, usually we get up at 2:00 am and deal with the lines, but this is actually a lot funner,” said Zentgraf.