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Business & Tech

Morris County Stores Prepare for Black Friday

Early openings, deals widespread throughout the state.

With the official start of the holiday season looming, thousands of shoppers across New Jersey will be waking up before dawn to get their hands on some great Black Friday deals. Here in Morris County, there is no shortage of deals to be had on Friday as holiday shopping gets underway.

For those looking to visit the Rockaway Townsquare Mall on Friday, shoppers will find several of the mall’s department stores opening early. Sears will be opening at 4 a.m. and offering a wide array of “doorbuster” deals on appliances, electronics, clothing and more.

Highlighted deals at Sears will include 50 percent off of Kenmore washers and dryers, 60 percent off of all men’s outerwear and women’s sweaters and 60 to 70 percent off of all fine jewelry.

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According to Sears Division Vice President of Public Relations Tom Aiello, the company’s associates are looking forward to the opportunity to be a part of the Black Friday atmosphere.

“I think one thing is, if you’ve ever worked in retail during Black Friday, it’s kind of a fun time period,” Aiello said. “You see a lot on the news about how people are in long lines, but when you’re working it, there’s a certain spirit in the air. When you’re in the stores on Black Friday, it’s kind of fun.”

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For those looking to sleep in on Friday—or for those looking to hit more than one mall in the same day—Bloomingdale’s locations across the state of New Jersey open at 8 a.m. Like other stores, Bloomingdale’s—which has a location in the Willowbrook Mall in Wayne—has plenty of Black Friday deals that the store categorizes based on type, according to Bloomingdale’s spokesperson Gina Heuck.

“We have a wide array of gifts highlighted throughout the store in a few different categories,” Heuck said. “We have the ‘Love-It List Gifts’ for the most sought-after gifts, ‘Merry Must-Haves’ for those under $100 and the ‘Nifty Gifty’ for top gifts for everyone on your list.”

Deals like this are great news for Black Friday shoppers like Morris County resident Greg Zuerblis, who traditionally spends all of Black Friday shopping with his family every year.

“The first place we usually stop is at the Rockaway Mall, and from there we usually go to Wal-Mart,” Zuerblis said. “We usually have our list of good buys and have a game plan.”

Even if he does not take advantage of all of the deals, being a part of the Black Friday atmosphere is an exciting event in itself.

“I just like to go out and see all the crazy people who are out at 2 a.m.,” Zuerblis said.

Of course, there are even more Black Friday deals out there for consumers. Lord & Taylor, which has locations in both the Rockaway and Willowbrook Malls, has deals on cashmere products for men and women, as well as 50 percent off of kids’ dresswear, men's coats, topcoats and rainwear, and the same discount for all “AK” Anne Klein boots.

Kmart, which is owned and operated by Sears Holdings and boasts Morris County locations in Parsippany and Dover, is also getting in on the action. Kmart stores will be opening at 5 a.m. on both Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday, and has deals similar to those at other department stores. Notably, customers can get a 42-inch Panasonic flat-screen television for $399 on Thanksgiving Day. For the approaching winter season, Kmart will be offering Craftsman 21-inch single stage snowblowers for $299.99.

Kmart, along with Sears, is also keeping its layaway service open throughout the holidays, so customers who wish to pay for items little by little can do so instead of paying all at once.

“One of the things that is of interest is that a lot of retailers have brought in layaway this season, but for a lot of retailers, it’s ending now,” Aiello said. “For Sears and Kmart, it’s continuing.”

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