BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Businesses throughout the Raleigh County area on Friday opened their doors bright and early, welcoming waves of customers hoping to take advantage of this year’s Black Friday sales.
Historically the biggest retail sales day of the year, Black Friday has seen a dip in participation in recent years due, in part, to ever-expanding availability of items through the convenience of online shopping.
Experts indicate that, despite a potential dip in sales from 2023’s figures, 2024’s Black Friday sales appear poised to bring about a “solid” shopping year in terms of retail profits.
“(Stores) are very hungry for Black Friday to do well,” Marshal Cohen, chief retail advisor at market research firm Circana, said. “They recognize that they’re not going to clobber and win big growth in online because the pie has gotten so competitive. They have to find a way to win in the stores.”
Along with established retail chains such as Walmart and Kohl’s, locally owned businesses throughout Raleigh County such as Retro Reset Video Games & Collectibles and Family Game Knight have rolled out substantial deals of their own as a means of attracting shoppers for the holiday shopping extravaganza. Family Game Knight even indicated on Friday morning that the MacAurthur establishment was on track to surpass previous peak sales figures as a result of the sales currently underway.
Raleigh County’s Crossroads Mall hosted hundreds of shoppers on Friday in a scene comparable to a standard weekend during the the more consistently active days of shopping malls in decades preceding the advent of online commerce.
While many door buster deals in the Beckley area have already concluded at the time of writing – most having done so prior to the full ascent of the sun on Friday morning – many Black Friday sales deals at retail establishments throughout the area remain active, with some even slated to extend further into the weekend.
