KAILUA-KONA — West Hawaii retailers are gearing up for Black Friday sales, offering deals to shoppers eager to get their holiday shopping started as soon as possible.
KAILUA-KONA — West Hawaii retailers are gearing up for Black Friday sales, offering deals to shoppers eager to get their holiday shopping started as soon as possible.
And several retailers don’t plan to wait until Friday to open their doors. Kmart, Target, Macy’s and Walmart are all advertising opening hours as early as this evening.
Target, which is opening its doors at 6 p.m. today and staying open until 11 p.m. Friday, anticipates hundreds of shoppers.
“It’s huge,” said Jennifer Burns, guest service team leader. “And especially for our guests.”
As is often the case, electronics are expected to be a popular buy.
“Anything in electronics,” Burns said, citing the popularity of video games, consoles, cameras and televisions. “TVs are always a hot item.”
In its circular provided in today’s West Hawaii Today, the store is advertising a 55-inch, 4K ultra-high-definition Samsung television for $697.99.
The store is also featuring other electronics, including an Xbox One bundle, a Fitbit and wireless headphones at the front of its circular.
Walmart’s circular, also included in today’s newspaper, is also highlighting its electronics, offering deals on a PlayStation 4 bundle, televisions and home audio equipment.
Altogether, the newspaper is including 288 pages of ads, in addition to a 20-page gift guide.
In addition to having a whole team set up to handle the crowd outside, Burns said, the retailer is also controlling the flow of shoppers.
“It’s not gonna be a free for all,” she said.
Unlike nightmarish depictions of Black Friday as an all-out brawl for the season’s hottest buys, Burns said holiday shopping in Kona has never been anything short of a joy.
“Our guests are really kind,” she said. “We’re not like any other place.”
That makes it easier on staff too, she noted.
“It’s a great time for our team members because of our guests,” she said. “Our guests make it amazing.”
Purchases of the most popular items, for instance, will be closely controlled.
Outside the store, guests will be able to get their tickets for some of the year’s hottest items, such as televisions, and store employees will be around to speak with shoppers as they wait to get inside. Guests who come inside with their ticket, can pay for the item and pick it up at the store’s Guest Services counter.
“We’ll be vibing with them, talking with them, having the ad there for them,” she said.