Local retailers get ready for 'Black Friday'

By Staff
Melissa Cason
Franklin County Times
Shoppers get ready, get set, and go!
The biggest shopping day of the year is here and today's sales will likely set the tone for the whole holiday season.
Merchants pull out all the stops to draw in the big crowds early in the morning and have spent weeks preparing for the 'Black Friday' crowds.
"We are expecting to have crowds later in the day as shoppers are driving back from Florence and Muscle Shoals," Peebles Manager Brenda Johnson said.
Peebles has been preparing for today's sale for more than a month and trucks have been bringing in the merchandise for today's sale.
Johnson said that their corporate office decides what to send to the stores based on what is sold.
"Our corporate office keeps track of what we need based on a computerized inventory," Johnson said. "When we sell an item, they know to send us another one to replace it."
In addition to the regular items, Peebles has some Christmas-only items, such as men's gift sets and games. These items are only available at Peeble's during the holiday season.
Down the highway, Factory Connection has been working all week to prepare for today's shoppers.
"We are expecting a big crowd this year because we have really good door busters this year and we have a lot of them," Factory Connection Manager Diane Alverson said.
Alverson said that she does not get to order trucks either but their corporate office knows what sells by inventory as well.
The story is the same at Burke's Outlet. The store has been preparing for today's sale for the past month, and they have a good supply of merchandise on hand.
"We don't get to order our trucks," Supervisor Erica Rodent said. "We usually get a little bid of everything in each truck."
While the store doesn't have anything new, Burke's Outlet does have big savings on clearance items, and other items throughout the store.
Burke's, Factory Connection and Peeble's open at 7 a.m. today. Burke's and Peeble's will open at 8 a.m. tomorrow, and special extended days will be offered periodically throughout the holiday season.