25 November 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT) – Black Friday shoppers hit their local stores in droves after Thanksgiving.
Around 182 million Americans are expected to shop from Black Friday through Cyber Monday. That’s roughly 15 million more than last year, according to the National Retail Foundation (NRF).
“It’s been awesome,” Topeka Menard’s general manager Heath Streeter said. “Kind of reminded us of how it used to be before everything happened. It was steady this morning, and it was awesome. Everyone was cheerful, happy. It was good to have everybody in here.”
The NRF says Christmas gifts and decorations are among the most commonly purchased Black Friday items.
As the holiday season gets closer, temperatures start to drop. Luckily, a local Topeka Coffee trailer called ‘The Blind Barista,’ is helping shoppers keep warm this weekend.
On Black Frida, baristas Twyla Broadbent and Heather Martens set up shop in front of the Best Buy on Wanamaker at an early 6 a.m. to pass out warm drinks for shoppers.
“We’ve been doing this little coffee trailer here for a few months, and we had the opportunity to come out to the Best Buy parking lot, so we thought that sounded like a great opportunity on Black Friday,” Broadbent said. “I think they’ve appreciated having hot drinks. I’ve had to make myself a few.”