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Black Friday offers discounts for brave souls, different opportunities for students


Mere hours after enjoying a peaceful meal of turkey and stuffing, thousands of people will be stuffing themselves a different way: through the doors of retailers nationwide.

The annual shopping craze can help put some money in a few college students’ pockets, however. Hundreds of stores, including Target, Wal-Mart and other big box retailers, are hiring for seasonal positions for those willing to give up the coveted time off that comes with winter break.

Kinesiology senior Margaret Johnson was hired as a seasonal salesperson for Target to try and prepare for the swelling crowds in the coming weeks, particularly on Black Friday.

For Target and many other stores, Black Friday actually starts on Thursday, meaning employees and shoppers will occupy the store throughout the night.

Johnson said she will be working throughout the night, helping customers check out after they have fought through the crowds for some deep discounts.

For some students, discounts can help buy items that they may not be able to afford otherwise on a limited budget. Finance sophomore Zachary Subak said he doesn't have the money to spend on unnecessary items.

“I’m a poor college student,” Subak said. “I can’t afford to go out and spend money I don’t have.”

For students looking to score a deal on Black Friday, tech-related items remain the most coveted buy, but people may not actually have to fight a crowd to get the deal.

At Best Buy and the Microsoft Store, online customers can receive discounts on computers, tablets, phones and video games starting on Friday. The deals are limited, but they include $399 off of a Dell Inspiron laptop at the Microsoft Store and tablets starting at $49 at Best Buy online.

Buying online can help secure some much needed family time for students like global health sophomore Allison O’Brien, who is traveling home to Colorado to visit family she has not seen in months.

“I’m not planning to go out and go shopping because I want to be able to be with my family,” she said. “I haven’t gotten to see them in a long time, and I want to be able to have family time with them and not worry about shopping.”

For those who prefer the adrenaline rush of crashing shopping carts, sometimes even better deals can be scored in person.

Kohl’s, Target, Wal-Mart and many others offer doorbuster deals to customers willing to brave the crowds. These are often only available for a limited time, and for in-store customers only.

For Target shoppers, in-store customers can expect deals on high definition televisions as doorbuster deals. However, the exact discount will not actually be revealed until Thanksgiving.

Black Friday, while traditionally focused on electronics and other high-dollar items, can offer discounts on a smaller scale as well. At JCPenney, Macy’s and Sears, women’s boots will be on sale for $19.99, a discount of up to $60. These stores also offer deep discounts on clothes for men and women, including ties, dress shirts, winter clothes and more.

Students looking for a good deal on Black Friday should go to the store prepared, some people have started camping a week early and are sure to be cranky by the time the deal rolls around. But, if a person does not save as much money as he or she wanted, well, there is always Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday.


Reach the reporter at cvanek@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @CorinaVanek

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