25 November 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Customers at the Scheels in Towne East Square spoke about why they decided to join Black Friday crowds instead of making their purchases online.
They say online shopping isn’t the same as getting out there and for the true Black Friday experience.
Shoppers said it was a busy day for stores in Wichita.
“Some stores had lines that we had to stand in to wait to get into the stores,” said Danielle Arden, a shopper at Scheels. “Like this is the most people I’ve seen since COVID, like a lot of people out, it’s crazy.”
Even the drive to Towne East was a challenge.
“Traffic was crazy just to get inside the mall parking lot, and we had to park clear out way out in left field,” Arden said.
All the chaos was worth it for the in-store shopping experience, according to Martha Slack.
“The people and the bustle kinda gives you the holiday feeling,” Slack said.
For Irene Ibarra, it’s a welcome change to be able to go in store and look at products in person.
“With COVID and everything, a lot of people didn’t get out,” Ibarra said. “You had to learn to do the online shopping.”
Online shopping doesn’t give the same sense of connection, according to Arden.
She and her husband treat Black Friday like a date, she said.
Arden said she will have to do some online ordering, but the goal is to get her Christmas shopping mostly done.
She’s not the only one trying to knock out items on her list.
Scheels employees say there were at least a hundred people lined up outside their front entrance when they opened at 7 a.m.