Springfield shoppers out early for the best deals

The lure of cheap televisions, half-priced laptops and steeply discounted Apple watches had Springfield shoppers up early and bundled up in the cold outside local stores Thursday morning.

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At a handful of stores, shoppers were out to get a jump-start on the best deals, even as the traditional shopping period has expanded with events, like Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday.

An annual study by the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants and the University of Cincinnati showed holiday retail spending is likely to tick up about 2 percent this year compared to 2016, for a total of about $24 billion statewide. The Dayton region is expected to account for about 7 percent of that spending, although specific information from Springfield wasn’t included in the report.

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Meijer remains open around the clock, but their busiest period was 6 a.m. when the store began offering its door-buster sales, including a 50-inch Vizio television, Apple watches and video game consoles, said John Ricket, store manager. But customers were ready even earlier.

“It seems like most people rolled in a half-hour before the sales started,” Ricket said.

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The store had been busy even before the sales started as customers stocked up on groceries for Thanksgiving. Karen Hanrahan and Gina Rodgers left the store with carts piled high with Christmas gifts, a tradition they’ve kept for years.

“We always come every Thanksgiving morning,” Rodgers said. “Then we do our Thanksgiving meal.”

Other major retailers, like Best Buy in Springfield, opened at 5 p.m. Thursday. But the later opening did not diminish local shoppers enthusiasm, who bundled in blankets and lined up alongside the store’s entrance before 10 a.m.. They waited for tickets that would give them the first shot at Thursday’s best deals.

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Best Buy employee Cody Tackett said he spent part of his off day waiting in line for some of the store’s specials, which included discounted video game consoles, 50-inch televisions and half-price Bluetooth speakers.

“There are a lot of crazy sales today,” Tackett said.

Along with Tackett, several customers mingled outside the store or waited in their cars until the tickets became available. Howard Raines, of Springfield, said he arrived around 8 a.m. Although he doesn’t usually wait in lines on Thanksgiving Day, there was a bright side to standing outside the store on Thursday.

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“I get out of cooking by being here,” he joked.

Dwayne Plott was one of the first shoppers lined up alongside the store’s entrance. He said he’s stood in line for the best deals in years past, but this year his daughter specifically asked for a half-priced laptop for college. He said the crowds in Springfield were mild compared to some other cities.

“Most of the people out here are just having fun and talking,” he said.


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BY THE NUMBERS

2 percent: Anticipated increase in Ohio retail spending

9 percent: Expected spending increase compared to 2015

$24.1B: Anticipated Ohio holiday retail sales in 2017

$23.6B: Holiday retail sales in 2016

SOURCE: University of Cincinnati Economics Center

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