Community Corner
Black Friday: The Tradition, The Chaos and The Camaraderie
Shoppers from throughout the region converged on the stores - big and small - on the hunt for bargains and holiday cheer.
Some were running on fumes from shopping all night, while others were revived after a good breakfast and ready to hit the stores once again.
Black Friday brought thousands to shopping malls throughout the region as people looked for the deals and the hottest items of the season.
Catherine Artibani of Southington planned ahead; she went to the stores and picked up a flyer and clipped coupons from the newspaper.
Find out what's happening in Manchesterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"I laid out every flyer and we circled what we wanted," she said.
For Fany Hannon of Wilton, shopping the day after Thanksgiving is more of a tradition.
Find out what's happening in Manchesterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"It's more about bonding," she said while shopping with her mom.
Amanda Wisniewski of Manchester, who was out with her boyfriend, Joe Wallace, Friday morning had less than a wonderful experience waiting in line at the Wal-Mart in Manchester.
The couple got to the store at about 10:30 p.m. and when midnight rolled around they weren't able to get into the store. They decided against waiting any longer and left.
"But it's the day after Thanksgiving so it's a tradition... let's go shopping," Wisniewski said.
If the shoppers had any advice for those considering going out at midnight next year it might be to leave your children at home and to definitely be kind to your fellow shoppers and store personnel.
"Just be kind. I think during this day we tend to forget about that and you find that people are angry... don't forget what this season is all about," Hannon said.
"They're buying in celebration of someone who was born into a stable, who had nothing. I think we all owe that commemoration a little bit more decency," John Pryor of Glastonbury said as he shopped for toys for his church's food pantry.
