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franklin county times

Bonita Lakes Mall braced for shopping frenzy

By Staff
Nov. 24, 2000
READY, SET Chantel Henderson, assistant manager of K-B Toys, does her part to prepare the store for today's throng of shoppers. Photo by Paula Merritt/The Meridian Star
By Ben Alexander/The Meridian Star
Although Meridian may not be Who-ville, retailers at Bonita Lakes Mall are expecting a Grinch-like aftermath today as holiday shoppers pluck tons of Christmas goodies from the shelves.
And a shopping frenzy is exactly what retailers are hoping for today.
According to Price, the weekend following Thanksgiving normally ranks as the mall's second-busiest weekend of the year. The weekend before Christmas is generally the biggest weekend of the year.
Bonita Lakes Mall is expected to be so busy that the mall's security force has been more than doubled to handle the large turnout although Price said he couldn't reveal exactly how many guards would be working.
Joy Lummus, manager of K-B Toys, opened her store at 5 a.m. this morning for shoppers who just couldn't wait and expected to be greeted by a large crowd of pre-dawn shoppers.
Amid the fast-paced world of retail toy sales, Lummus said the day after Thanksgiving generally ranks as the industry's Super Bowl.
Price said he wants it to be an equally jolly season for all other mall shoppers, so he didn't make them wait this morning either the mall opened its doors at 4:30 a.m. Price said most small shops will open at 8:30 a.m.
The most-wanted list for holiday shoppers may be a little shorter this year, Price said, but the usual gifts that are popular during the holiday season are expected to garner a lot of attention.
Even though the retail sales volume is down slightly this year, Price said he believes Bonita Lakes can do even more business than it did last year.
Ben Alexander is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail him at balexander@meridianstar.com.

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