Black Friday: A tale of two Targets
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Black Friday was a nonchalant affair for the morning crowd at Target in Woodland Hills. The floors were clean and the clothes folded, and lines were just one to two carts deep.
“It’s just like any other day,” said Deserie Davenport, 43, of Hollywood.
Two years ago she attempted to hit the holiday sales at Best Buy: “I will never, ever do that again,” she said.
This year she avoided the fuss and loaded a holiday wreath and poinsettia plant into her silver BMW. She also found a 6-foot Christmas tree for $25.
Inside the Woodland Hills Target store, red and white paper ornaments hung from the ceilings, and green signs pointed to doorbuster specials that were still waiting for buyers.
Alas, the microwave that Vivian Windsor, 80, came to buy was gone by 10 a.m. But no matter, said the Woodland Hills retiree.
“I usually don’t like to fight traffic and parking,” she said. “An awful lot of people do.”
That was apparently the case at the more crowded Target in Canoga Park. Children sat in aisles; hooks had fallen off their posts; and blue, purple and black sweaters were strewn over shelves.
Allan Haims, a retail consultant, said value was No. 1.
“Price is driving things, there’s no doubt about that,” he said, naming Hollister, Old Navy and Victoria’s Secret among this season’s successes. “There are clear winners and clear losers.”
At least it’s been busier so far than it was last year, said Savid Sotelo, 24, a supervisor at the Target in Canoga Park. One popular item has been the 40-inch Sony Bravia television sets, marked down to $799 from $899.
“It hasn’t slowed down,” he said. “It’s been consistently busy.”
-- Nicole Santa Cruz
