James Knox, of the Upper West Side, had been to three different stores by 6:39 a.m. He came to Apple Store specifically for the Beats Headphones by Dr. Dre. (Gabriela Resto-Montero)By Heather Grossmann and Gabriela Resto-Montero
DNAinfo Reporter/Producers
HERALD SQUARE — All signs of the Thanksgiving Day Parade were gone at 5 a.m. Friday morning as shoppers looking for Black Friday deals streamed into Macy's, Victoria's Secret, H&M and more stores through out Manhattan.
"Foot Locker's open, come on, come on let's go," called an employee outside the 34th Street store, herding people from the streets into the brightly-lit interior.
Upper East Side resident Ruven Levovitz walked down to Herald Square from his East 96th Street apartment with two friends. They hit a Best Buy and an H&M on the way down, but were disappointed that rumors of free gifts were untrue.
Levovitz and his crew parked themselves outside Sephora on 34th street at about 4:30 a.m. and was given a number 40 tag. The first 100 people on line were given a gift certificate of anywhere from $100 to $500.
The Macy's men's department at 7 a.m. on Black Friday. (Heather Grossmann/DNAinfo)"If I get a good gift card here," Levovitz said. "I'll give it to my girlfriend."
Amy Ireland and her daughter Monika, 18, waited with about 75 others outside of Victoria's Secret in Herald Square. They had traveled from Kentucky so that Monika could dance with the "Varsity Spirit" in Thursday's parade. They were waiting for the store's 6 a.m. opening.
"We scoped it out the other day," said the elder Ireland. They had chosen exactly what they wanted and planned to go in and grab it — but "be Kentucky polite" about it.
The Ireland's said that most of the store's staff had been closed-lipped during their first visit about what sales to expect, but one friendly clerk had finally told them that almost everything would be deeply discounted.
Manhattan residents were out early and in force despite difficult economic times.
Holiday retail industry sales are expected to decline this year to $437.6 billion, as the average shopper’s budget shrinks from $705.01 to $682.74, according to a report by the National Retail Federation.
A line gathers outside Victoria's Secret the morning of Black Friday. (Heather Grossmann/DNAinfo)Uptown at the Apple store, Daisy Martinez of Inwood was a little disappointed in the sale prices on a laptop for her sister.
"To be honest, the price is not that much better," Martinez said.
Although Martinez was disappointed, James Knox, of the Upper West Side, found exactly what he was looking for at the Apple Store — a white pair of Beats by Dr. Dre headphones.
The Apple Store was Knox's third stop of the day by 6:39 a.m.
"I think I'm a night person anyway, why not get out?" Knox said. "People who are out are enthusiastic so it feels like four o'clock in the afternoon rather than four in the morning."
At Macy's, groups of about 100 lined up outside the Broadway, 34th Street and Seventh Avenue entrances. Wanda, a store clerk, said everything had gone smoothly and people had no problem getting in when the doors opened at 5 a.m.
The store was bustling but not packed during the first hour of operation, with plenty of room to browse and very short lines to purchase.
Carol Sullivan and her daughter, visiting from Ireland, carried an enormous black suitcase with them. They planned to fill it with Macy's purchases. What did they want?
"Anything and everything!" Sullivan said.
Links
- Holiday Sales Get Started Early, Online [DNAinfo]
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