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SALT LAKE CITY -- Black Friday is usually a good indicator of how the rest of the holiday shopping season will go. If Friday morning's turnout for one Utah retailer is any indication, the 2009 Utah shopping season looks bright.
A behind-the-scenes look at the Salt Lake City warehouse for R.C. Willey shows what the upcoming holiday season has in store, and it's an optimistic forecast.
"You know maybe a little bit better than expected and much better than a year ago," says Scott Hymas, CEO of R.C. Willey.
Shoppers should be able to go home satisfied. Doorbuster deals and bargains certainly attracted holiday shoppers Friday morning. Although lines stretched across the building at the R.C. Willey location in Murray, most customers were happy to wait as long as they got the deals they were after.
Related:
Shoppers describe the cold and craziness of Black Friday
According to many shoppers, it wouldn't be the holidays without some Black Friday shopping. Thousands camped out in the cold and stood in long lines to get their first pick at this season's hottest gifts."Yeah, I'm thinking, at first, it was gonna be crazy, like everybody will be, but it's not," says shopper Maria Vanotten of West Valley City.
Last year's economic slump and the lackluster shopping season that followed might actually be the reason this shopping season improves.
"I think there'll be some pent up demand out there, people haven't bought for a while, they feel better about things then they did a year ago, and we're very optimistic about the holiday selling season," says Hymas. "The best thing I can say right now is it's a great time to be a consumer, no matter what you are buying.
Shoppers seem to agree. "Yeah, because I got what I really want," says Vanotten.
There is a sign, however, that many consumers remain cautious. The Associated Press reports more shoppers are using cash and debit cards, instead of credit.
E-mail: abutterfield@ksl.com
