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Your Time: Black Friday

  • Robin Hayward

    Robin Hayward

  • Seth Lustig

    Seth Lustig

  • Seth Lustig, Bryce Mainville

    Seth Lustig, Bryce Mainville

  • Santa Claus

    Santa Claus

  • Hampshire Mall

    Hampshire Mall

  • Patty Bradford

    Patty Bradford

  • Gary Xiong

    Gary Xiong

  • Danielle Desrosiers, Alexis Worth

    Danielle Desrosiers, Alexis Worth

  • Waiting while owner shops

    Waiting while owner shops

  • Sabrina Bettencourt (L) of Norwich, Connecicut and Melissa McCulley of Canterbury, Connecticut descend the stairs at Thornes Marketplace in Northampton with their purchases Saturday. Bettencourt noted that while there were scenes of madness in Connecticut and elsewhere for deals at Big Box stores, she actually found her purchases to be rather expensive.

    Sabrina Bettencourt (L) of Norwich, Connecicut and Melissa McCulley of Canterbury, Connecticut descend the stairs at Thornes Marketplace in Northampton with their purchases Saturday. Bettencourt noted that while there were scenes of madness in Connecticut and elsewhere for deals at Big Box stores, she actually found her purchases to be rather expensive.

  • JOSH KUCKENS<br/>Verizon Northampton branch owner Lynn Bastarache was donning a holiday themed Google Android costume outside as part of their Black Friday promotion, shown here greeting Irving residents David and Danielle Chagnon and their grandmother Joan Blaney.

    JOSH KUCKENS
    Verizon Northampton branch owner Lynn Bastarache was donning a holiday themed Google Android costume outside as part of their Black Friday promotion, shown here greeting Irving residents David and Danielle Chagnon and their grandmother Joan Blaney.

  • JOSH KUCKENS<br/>Lynn Bastarache in Google Android costume, with David and Danielle Chagnon and Joan Blaney

    JOSH KUCKENS
    Lynn Bastarache in Google Android costume, with David and Danielle Chagnon and Joan Blaney

  • Robin Hayward
  • Seth Lustig
  • Seth Lustig, Bryce Mainville
  • Santa Claus
  • Hampshire Mall
  • Patty Bradford
  • Gary Xiong
  • Danielle Desrosiers, Alexis Worth
  • Waiting while owner shops
  • Sabrina Bettencourt (L) of Norwich, Connecicut and Melissa McCulley of Canterbury, Connecticut descend the stairs at Thornes Marketplace in Northampton with their purchases Saturday. Bettencourt noted that while there were scenes of madness in Connecticut and elsewhere for deals at Big Box stores, she actually found her purchases to be rather expensive.
  • JOSH KUCKENS<br/>Verizon Northampton branch owner Lynn Bastarache was donning a holiday themed Google Android costume outside as part of their Black Friday promotion, shown here greeting Irving residents David and Danielle Chagnon and their grandmother Joan Blaney.
  • JOSH KUCKENS<br/>Lynn Bastarache in Google Android costume, with David and Danielle Chagnon and Joan Blaney
Thursday, November 29, 2012
(Published in print: Friday, November 30, 2012)

Photos by Jerrey Roberts and Josh Kuckens

Text by Jerrey Roberts

Shoppers hit the streets last weekend for the annual post-Thanksgiving search for bargains on Black Friday, and then continued their shopping on Small Business Saturday. Along with Bag Day in Northampton and a similar promotion in Easthampton, the events marked the official kickoff the holiday shopping season.

At the Hampshire Mall in Hadley on Friday, most of the early-morning crowds were gone by afternoon. Even Santa Claus was able to take a breather.

Patty Bradford, 21, of Amherst, a special-needs employee at Target, was busy collecting shopping carts with her job coach, Hena Susha. Bradford started the job — her first — two weeks ago and said it was fun and exciting.

Danielle Desrosiers of Holyoke, who was shopping at the mall Friday afternoon, said the experience seemed a bit more “like a regular shopping day” than she’d expected.

While some chose to rise early or stay up late to get the biggest bargains, Gary Xiong of Deerfield wasn’t among them.

“I’m too old. I wish I could,” he said, after buying a coffeemaker, a blender and a grill at Best Buy.

Jim Lowe of Granby said he didn’t know if the price for the television set he’d found was “good, bad or indifferent. I have the day off and I had to buy a TV.”

Inside the mall, Seth Lustig, owner and manager of Greenfield Games, said he’s happy with sales so far this season. He’s had a store in Greenfield for 12 years, he said, but his Hadley location is just over a year old.

At Thornes Marketplace in Northampton on Saturday, the crowds seemed lighter than they were for Bag Day on Nov. 17.

“Bay Day trumps Black Friday,” said Katie Koupe, an employee at Strada.

Robin Hayward of Easthampton was doing some Christmas shopping for her family over the weekend in downtown Northampton.

“Everyone is friendly,” she said. “It keeps you in the holiday spirit.”

To suggest a subject for Your Time, contact Suzanne Wilson at swilson@gazettenet.com.

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