Crowds turn out for deals, tradition | News, Sports, Jobs - Altoona Mirror

Teenagers Mason Young (left) of Chest Springs and Ty McConnell (right) of Patton wait for McConnell's family to finish shopping Friday morning at a bench outside of J.C. Penney at the Logan Valley Mall. Mirror photo by Matt Churella

Parking lots were filled and traffic was heavy near Walmart, Boscov's and the Logan Valley Mall as area residents and visitors alike took part in traditional in-person Black Friday shopping excursions.

While some shoppers said they were more relaxed this year, a few, like Mason Young, 15, of Chest Springs, were tired after hours spent in the stores.

"I want to go home," Young said, as he and friend, Ty McConnell, 15, of Patton, sat on a bench in the mall waiting for the rest of their group to finish shopping.

"My mom made me (go shopping)," McConnell said.

While the two admitted to being tired, they planned to eat lunch at Denny's — a treat both teens were looking forward to.

Altoona resident Brandon Murtiff attempts to load a 65" television into his pick-up truck Friday morning in the Walmart parking lot. Mirror photo by Matt Churella

The mall opened at 7 a.m. to early-morning shoppers looking to sweep up deals while spending time with friends and family.

For Brandy Brant of Claysburg, Black Friday shopping is an annual tradition of the past 15 years. This year, for the first time, she brought along her young niece, Bailey Fink.

"It's OK, I guess," Fink said of the experience. "It's just a lot of walking and then you have to wait at every store."

Brant said she enjoys hunting for deals in ads instead of shopping online or "window shopping" at stores.

"I'm old school. I like having my ads so I can sit there and pick out what I've got to get," she said. "It's not like how it used to be a couple years ago. You're always constantly trying to find better deals (online)."

Brant said she waited a while in line to check out at Victoria's Secret.

The waiting "was really bad," she said, but "pretty much the entire store there was 45% off."

Many shoppers said they think early discounts made available online have taken away from the excitement of finding deals in stores.

Total strangers Kathy Fink, Tyrone, and Jason Lute, Elmora, shared a mall bench while waiting for others to finish shopping.

"I've been doing it for 17 years," Lute said, adding he thought the mall was less crowded than in years past.

Fink said shopping this year was "much less hectic" than previous years, though she was able to find a deal for her grandchild.

"I have six grandchildren," she said. "I did find (a gift for) one, but I haven't found much yet."

'Good family time'

Kaitlyn Miller and her toddler, Emma, 16 months, flew in from Saint George, Utah, to go shopping at the mall with her mother, Kim Keller of Milroy.

"She said, 'You can't go without us,'" Keller said with a laugh.

"We have a good time," she said. "It's family time, and we're hunting for good deals."

Miller said one of the best deals they found is a $5 set of pajama pants at Old Navy.

"We all get matching pajama pants for Christmas Eve," she added.

Cooper Miller, 20, of Osceola Mills said he's been Black Friday shopping with his mother every year since he was three months old.

He said his aunt, sisters-in-law and brothers often join them.

"It's a good family time," he said. "We kind of go where the day takes us."

Miller said the first stop on their list every year is Boscov's. This year, he found a deal right away.

"I found some nice carpenter pants over there for $20; they were originally $60," Miller said. "I think that's a pretty good deal."

He said more people were at Boscov's this year than he remembers from previous years.

"It seems that everybody's coming out again," he said.

Cindy Hann drove an hour and 45 minutes from Fort Loudon to shop in Altoona.

"We just like Altoona," she said. "We always like Boscov's. I like the dresses and the clothes."

Cindy Moore of Osterburg was also shopping at Boscov's on Friday morning.

Moore said she's enjoyed Black Friday shopping every year since she was a kid.

"I don't really see a difference," she said of this year's turnout. "I'm just looking for a good bargain. Whatever reaches out and catches my eye."

Looking for deals

In the Walmart parking lot, Raelene Carson of Hollidaysburg said she's "done" with her Christmas shopping.

Carson and her friend, Jen Rhine, were shopping together at Walmart for good deals.

"We do it every year," Carson said.

Although they waited in some lines while looking for items, overall, their experience wasn't bad, they said.

Theresa Rayba of Nicktown was loading her car with several bags of Christmas gifts she purchased at Walmart. She said she's about three-fourths of the way finished with her Christmas shopping list.

"We started out at J.C. Penney, and we did get some pretty nice deals there," she said, adding she thought this year's shopping "wasn't too stressful."

Beth Worthy of Rock­­hill Furnace said she's "in the middle" of finishing her holiday shopping after Black Friday.

"I slimmed down this year," Worthy said. "I'm more about Jesus than gift-giving this year."

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.

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