Black Friday

GRAND RAPIDS- Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year, did not disappoint the thousands of shoppers at 4 a.m. in front of the Target store at 5120 28th St SE in Grand Rapids.

“I just can’t resist the sales!” exclaimed early bird Connie Ritsema, 44. “I get just about everybody’s gifts today. The prices are just awesome.”

While Target sells most items on anybody’s wish list, electronics were the hottest department for shoppers waiting in the 30 degree weather outside, with great deals on the Nintendo Wii, the new Xbox 360 Kinect console and Garmin GPS systems.

“I’ve seen a lot of kids’ clothes and games come through,” said cashier Tanya Molendyk. “This is my third time working Black Friday, and it’s always the same: crazy.”

While hundreds of customers filled all aisles of every department, Target employees were still able to keep their cool in the chaos and help many find specific items on their gift lists.

“It’s like this every year, so yeah, we know what to expect,” said Target security guard of 8 years, Tom Gill.

Employees scheduled to work on Black Friday plan for weeks in advance, with special store set-ups and sales layouts done the day before in preparation for the crowds.

Extra security is also scheduled for the shopping day as well.

“We always get extra guys out here for the Black Friday. This store’s never had a problem, but you never know what could happen; there’s so many people who come out,” said Gill.

By 6:30 a.m., the shoppers still file into store to stock up on $5 pajama sets and $2 t-shirts, but without the added hysteria of being there as the store opened.