November 27, 2017 at 4:02 p.m.
Black Friday shoppers swarm local stores
Black Friday shoppers swarm local stores
By Kayla Thomason-
For many, Black Friday shopping is a tradition that cannot be missed.
Steven Ciolek said he was looking for a variety of gift items as well as a few things for his home.
"Not bad, found some good deals," he said, assessing his progress while standing in line at Kohl's in Rhinelander.
He and his wife tag-team Black Friday shopping, he explained. One stands in line and the other does some shopping, then they switch.
"It keeps you sane," he said of their strategy.
He and his wife planned to visit Menards, Kohls, Walmart, Shopko and some shops in Eagle River, he said.
"I prefer shopping in stores, I don't like online shopping," Ciolek said. "I like to see things, touch things, just looking at something on a computer screen just doesn't do it for me."
Lisa Delisi braves the crowds every year with her mother, sisters and daughters. She said they typically stand in lines for about 45 minutes.
"This year is the worst ever for lines, we think," she said, adding that her group was primarily searching for gifts.
Black Friday shopping in the Northwoods is a bit mellower than in Illinois, she added.
"It's all shopping and it's all traffic, it's terrible so we wouldn't go if we were home," Delisi said of Black Friday shopping in northern Illinois.
Darleen Kiesgen, Delisi's mother, said the best part of Black Friday for her is spending time with her family.
"We look forward to this day - no matter if we are buying anything - just to be together and have fun," she said, noting that Northwoods shoppers are polite even on a hectic day.
"Usually the staff and everybody are very friendly, no matter where you go they are helpful, they are friendly and it takes the edge off it," she said. "The people shopping, too, the same thing, they are all friendly, nobody gets rude and pushy."
Kathy DeLessio, who was visiting the Northwoods from New York, was also in search of deals.
"I think there's some good sales going on," she said.
This year was her first time Black Friday shopping in the Northwoods, and she found it rather calm in comparison to New York.
"New York, Black Friday is chaos. Here this is like a regular day back home in Brooklyn, this type of shopping on a Saturday," she said with a smile. "I saw on the news last night, too, they said 'chaos' I'm like 'What? You can move down the aisle it can't be chaos.' So here, going on Black Friday is nice."
BJ Prokopiak, general manager of the Rhinelander Menards, said Black Friday 2017 was "very successful," estimating a couple thousand people visited Menards on this big shopping day.
"It's a great experience for everybody, it really is, they should do it at least once, check it out," he said.
Kayla Breese may be reached at [email protected].
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