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Chipmunks "Squeakquel" on DVD/BD March 30
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Zips favored on road against MAC West leader
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Blogmail response on Hafner
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Stallworth's contract terminated
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QB in Browns future: another mock draft
Kent State Sports:
KSU Notes – February 9
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NBA Power Rankings from Around the Internet
Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeyes grab 18 players on signing day
Varsity Letters:
Five local gridders to play in Big33
All Da King's Men:
Palin At The Tea Party Convention
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Republican Pre-Conditions
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Law, Love and Chocolate
Car Chase:
Collector Car Hobby Loses One of the Best—Jim Roll
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Decisions Decisions: Credit Cards or Your Mortgage?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Loucile is looking for a Lake Erie getaway in June for three kids, ages 1, 3, and 5.
Sound Check:
Talk of the Town – Top entertainment picks for the weekend
HRLite House:
OFCCP Report
Akron Gamer:
Makers of 'Castle Crashers' unveil 'BattleBlock Theater'
See Jane Style:
Do IT this week: Layering
By Bill Lilley
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 02:22 p.m. EST, Nov 27, 2009
Debbie Buckeye stays pretty busy the rest of the year.
She's a full-time employee in the corporate office of Carter Lumber Company.
She is a full-time student who is scheduled to complete her bachelor's degree in business management at Hiram College in December.
And she is a full-time dance instructor at her own dance studio near the Kent State University football stadium.
But while that daily schedule would leave most breathless, it pales in comparison to what the 45-year-old super wife from Brimfield Township accomplishes on Black Friday.
Buckeye commands a platoon of eager shoppers, family, extended family and friends alike, who attack local retailers in the early morning hours of the year's most prolific shopping day.
''We don't look at this as a job, it's a passion for all of us,'' Buckeye said. ''We're on a mission and we're determined to get it done, with whatever means or however long takes.
''There are about 10 of us involved and we all want to take care of our Christmas shopping on one day and as inexpensively as possible. Your buying power isn't anything close to what it used to be. We have to be quick and we have to be efficient.''
Spoken like the true field general that Buckeye, a 1983 graduate of Field High School, is on this one day of the year.
It didn't start this way.
In fact, it started rather innocently in a much more innocent time in our country's shopping history.
''I was 16 and in high school and I took my mom shopping the day after Thanksgiving,'' Buckeye said. ''We had breakfast together around 8 a.m. and then we just went shopping the rest of the day. It was a fun time with my mom.''
Buckeye said the big day of shopping is still a lot of fun.
But it's a lot bigger. It starts a lot earlier. And it's a lot more involved. And it's even got a name.
''Black Friday actually starts on Thanksgiving morning,'' Buckeye said. ''I get the ads out of my Beacon Journal, make coffee and then sit down in front of the TV with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on and plan our attack.''
This year was one of the most extensive multi-pronged attacks that Buckeye and her mother, Verna Sivo, also of Brimfield, can remember in their 30-year shopping barrage on the day after turkey.
Buckeye's husband, Dave, gave up precious hunting time and a half-day of work as a service technician at Akron Copier Sales, to join the fray for the first time.
''I'm strictly a chauffeur,'' he said. ''We each have our place in this event.''
The Buckeyes arrived at Sears at Chapel Hill Mall shortly before 4 a.m. They went directly to electronics to buy a GPS.
There they ran into Doug Buckeye, Dave's brother.
Debbie Buckeye, battle plan and ads firmly in hand, immediately performed a nasty level of delegating, and brother-in-law Doug Buckeye quickly found himself standing in a checkout line, a surprised additional member of the platoon.
Meanwhile, Verna Sivo, former dance student Stacy Biltz and her mother Debbe Noe and her stepfather Chuck Noe were dispatched to Wal-Mart. The Noes come up from Hilton Head, S.C. for the holiday.
''We have stores in Hilton Head,'' Debbie Noe said, ''but it's nothing like this. And all of my family is here so we come back for Thanksgiving and Black Friday. It's a great time for us.''
Debbie Buckeye learned two years ago to avoid Wal-Mart.
''The worst episode of my 30 years was when about eight other customers at Wal-Mart jumped me for a GPS,'' Debbie Buckeye said. ''I go to Sears, they have calmer customers.''
Rank does have its benefits.
The Buckeyes, designated goods in hand, head to the Sears parking lot shortly before 5 a.m. to make the short drive to Dick's Sporting Goods.
''We have a timetable,'' Debbie Buckeye said. ''But we all understand that we can't control things like long lines and cash registers breaking down.''
The Buckeyes survived Dick's Sporting Goods despite only three of the eight checkout lines being open.
''That's ridiculous on this day when they know they're going to be swamped,'' Debbie Buckeye said. ''See, that's something we can't control.''
The other unit, however, wasn't as fortunate in their mission at Wal-Mart.
''We had to shop for a parking place before we could shop for our items,'' Biltz said. ''We had to drive around until we found somebody who was leaving. That put us about an hour behind schedule.''
No problem for the Buckeyes.
They spent the extra time at Starbucks.
''You need a break,'' said Debbie Buckeye, who has been teaching dance classes for 32 years. ''This can be hectic.''
The entire group then rendezvoused and hit Old Navy, Kohl's, Aeropostale and JCPenney before joining reinforcements, including Debbie Buckeye's brother John and nephew Aaron Kopp, for lunch for nine at 11 a.m.
''We always go to Luigi's,'' Debbie Buckeye said. ''It's been a a big part of the tradition.''
The group celebrated it's buys, distributed boxes into the bigger vehicles to make room for more.
But they couldn't celebrate the end of their mission.
They weren't ready to call it quits just yet.
''We're off to Target this afternoon,'' Debbie Buckeye said. ''And then we're going to Pennsylvania to the outlet stores at Grove City [today]. Black Friday will be over, but our mission goes on till we get everything.''
Bill Lilley can be reached at 330-996-3811 or blilley@thebeaconjournal.com.
Debbie Buckeye stays pretty busy the rest of the year.
She's a full-time employee in the corporate office of Carter Lumber Company.
She is a full-time student who is scheduled to complete her bachelor's degree in business management at Hiram College in December.
And she is a full-time dance instructor at her own dance studio near the Kent State University football stadium.
But while that daily schedule would leave most breathless, it pales in comparison to what the 45-year-old super wife from Brimfield Township accomplishes on Black Friday.
Buckeye commands a platoon of eager shoppers, family, extended family and friends alike, who attack local retailers in the early morning hours of the year's most prolific shopping day.
''We don't look at this as a job, it's a passion for all of us,'' Buckeye said. ''We're on a mission and we're determined to get it done, with whatever means or however long takes.
''There are about 10 of us involved and we all want to take care of our Christmas shopping on one day and as inexpensively as possible. Your buying power isn't anything close to what it used to be. We have to be quick and we have to be efficient.''
Spoken like the true field general that Buckeye, a 1983 graduate of Field High School, is on this one day of the year.
It didn't start this way.
In fact, it started rather innocently in a much more innocent time in our country's shopping history.
''I was 16 and in high school and I took my mom shopping the day after Thanksgiving,'' Buckeye said. ''We had breakfast together around 8 a.m. and then we just went shopping the rest of the day. It was a fun time with my mom.''
Buckeye said the big day of shopping is still a lot of fun.
But it's a lot bigger. It starts a lot earlier. And it's a lot more involved. And it's even got a name.
''Black Friday actually starts on Thanksgiving morning,'' Buckeye said. ''I get the ads out of my Beacon Journal, make coffee and then sit down in front of the TV with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on and plan our attack.''
This year was one of the most extensive multi-pronged attacks that Buckeye and her mother, Verna Sivo, also of Brimfield, can remember in their 30-year shopping barrage on the day after turkey.
Buckeye's husband, Dave, gave up precious hunting time and a half-day of work as a service technician at Akron Copier Sales, to join the fray for the first time.
''I'm strictly a chauffeur,'' he said. ''We each have our place in this event.''
The Buckeyes arrived at Sears at Chapel Hill Mall shortly before 4 a.m. They went directly to electronics to buy a GPS.
There they ran into Doug Buckeye, Dave's brother.
Debbie Buckeye, battle plan and ads firmly in hand, immediately performed a nasty level of delegating, and brother-in-law Doug Buckeye quickly found himself standing in a checkout line, a surprised additional member of the platoon.
Meanwhile, Verna Sivo, former dance student Stacy Biltz and her mother Debbe Noe and her stepfather Chuck Noe were dispatched to Wal-Mart. The Noes come up from Hilton Head, S.C. for the holiday.
''We have stores in Hilton Head,'' Debbie Noe said, ''but it's nothing like this. And all of my family is here so we come back for Thanksgiving and Black Friday. It's a great time for us.''
Debbie Buckeye learned two years ago to avoid Wal-Mart.
''The worst episode of my 30 years was when about eight other customers at Wal-Mart jumped me for a GPS,'' Debbie Buckeye said. ''I go to Sears, they have calmer customers.''
Rank does have its benefits.
The Buckeyes, designated goods in hand, head to the Sears parking lot shortly before 5 a.m. to make the short drive to Dick's Sporting Goods.
''We have a timetable,'' Debbie Buckeye said. ''But we all understand that we can't control things like long lines and cash registers breaking down.''
The Buckeyes survived Dick's Sporting Goods despite only three of the eight checkout lines being open.
''That's ridiculous on this day when they know they're going to be swamped,'' Debbie Buckeye said. ''See, that's something we can't control.''
The other unit, however, wasn't as fortunate in their mission at Wal-Mart.
''We had to shop for a parking place before we could shop for our items,'' Biltz said. ''We had to drive around until we found somebody who was leaving. That put us about an hour behind schedule.''
No problem for the Buckeyes.
They spent the extra time at Starbucks.
''You need a break,'' said Debbie Buckeye, who has been teaching dance classes for 32 years. ''This can be hectic.''
The entire group then rendezvoused and hit Old Navy, Kohl's, Aeropostale and JCPenney before joining reinforcements, including Debbie Buckeye's brother John and nephew Aaron Kopp, for lunch for nine at 11 a.m.
''We always go to Luigi's,'' Debbie Buckeye said. ''It's been a a big part of the tradition.''
The group celebrated it's buys, distributed boxes into the bigger vehicles to make room for more.
But they couldn't celebrate the end of their mission.
They weren't ready to call it quits just yet.
''We're off to Target this afternoon,'' Debbie Buckeye said. ''And then we're going to Pennsylvania to the outlet stores at Grove City [today]. Black Friday will be over, but our mission goes on till we get everything.''
Bill Lilley can be reached at 330-996-3811 or blilley@thebeaconjournal.com.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
Orrville, Oh
Posted 03:30 PM, 11/27/2009
Hopefully all Black Friday Shoppers can pay for the more stock dividends (money) Hillarys, Chinese, Foreign and Domestic Investors and Stockholders (money marketers) market quarterly in the wholesale and retail price of EVERY product and service Human Beings use for life; that gets ONLY product or service; with money derived from wages or independent business profit!
akron, oh
Posted 03:32 PM, 11/27/2009
With three full time jobs, is that not 120 hours a week working? Let's see 8 to 4 Lumber factory, 5 to midnight full time student, midnight to 8 dance instructor (since she was 13) WOW. My hat is off to her. Doesn't leave much time to sleep. Wouldn't it be easier to get a GPS online?
Barberton, OH
Posted 04:51 PM, 11/27/2009
Hats off to all the super shoppers today! Hopefully it was a peaceful and enjoyable shopping experience.
Akron, OH
Posted 05:20 PM, 11/27/2009
Look at all those sheep. They are told to shop and bahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh bahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh off they go.
kent, oh
Posted 06:15 PM, 11/27/2009
Sheila, shame on you,that was rude!
She looks nowhere near 55.
Crazytown, OH
Posted 06:16 PM, 11/27/2009
Sheila: It appears as though you are being catty. I agree, though, with online shopping being easier, but apparently some people enjoy getting up extremely early, dealing with cranky mall/store employees who look at Black Friday as the equivalent of un-postable bad words, fighting for parking spaces, and rubbing shoulders and elbows with other people who enjoy getting up early, etc. Different strokes they say. Me, I did all my shopping online and got the same deals, free shipping, saved on gas and preserved what little is left of my sanity.
Atlantic City, NJ
Posted 07:04 PM, 11/27/2009
I wish there was a way to figure out just what these shopping fanatics actually save when you figure in time, gas, meals in a restaurant,possible day off from work(maybe using a personal or sick day)and the chance that the item they went for is already sold out meaning they later might have to buy it at regular price. It just seems to me like a lot of time and energy to save a few bucks. Just my take but I better be saving substantially to go through all the hassle.
Mogadore, OH
Posted 08:07 PM, 11/27/2009
The only good part IS the going out to eat, especially to Luigi's.
Atlantic City, NJ
Posted 09:12 PM, 11/27/2009
Thirty years ago we used to go to a Luigi's by the bridge by Howard st. Is it still there and do they still make their Tuna Fish pizza?
Mogadore, OH
Posted 09:24 PM, 11/27/2009
Luigi's is still in the same spot on S. Main St., but since the building of the Y-Bridge to replace the Viaduct, it's a block away from the Y-Bridge streets (High & Broadway). The part of Main Street that Luigi's is on is now just a little section of street separated from the rest of Main. Yes, you can still add tuna to your pizza. Their pizza is one of the best in Akron!
Mogadore, OH
Posted 09:28 PM, 11/27/2009
Actually North Main St.
Akron, Oh
Posted 01:14 AM, 11/28/2009
Avoid Dick's Sporting Goods--they will never have more than two to three checkout lines open at anytime and they move slow. Plus their customer service sucks--go to Play-It-Again Sports with great customer service and much shorter lines.
New Philadelphia, OH
Posted 07:53 AM, 11/28/2009
I graduated with Debbie from good old Field High School....actually she graduated in 82. Hats off to her..........personally.......stay at home and shop......isnt that why Al Gore invented the internet for us???
Springfield, Oh
Posted 08:41 AM, 11/28/2009
Crazy.
Springfield, Oh
Posted 08:41 AM, 11/28/2009
Crazy people!
Posted 08:55 AM, 11/28/2009
Geeeze, commenting on how she looks! I was out the door by 5 AM and did not bother to spend a lot of time on make up, I was on a mission, hahah! Yesterday the crowds were in pretty good spirits, granted I stayed away from the crazy party of town..aka...AKRON!
Posted 08:56 AM, 11/28/2009
party=parts, oops!
Posted 11:03 AM, 11/28/2009
How can a woman be a super wife that spends no time being a wife. I don't get it.
akron, oh
Posted 03:30 PM, 11/28/2009
gg..you hit the nail on the head, i agree, sounds like a usual day for many why didnt the beacon print my story or any one else's who was out there shopping
Posted 05:11 PM, 11/28/2009
Sassymom,
The Beacon Journal invited Black Friday shoppers to be part of its coverage.
http://www.ohio.com/business/70522547.html
Akron, oh
Posted 05:50 PM, 11/28/2009
I'm surprised at the amount of people that actually went shopping, it was freezing cold!
