Pahrump shoppers face long lines on Black Friday

The aisles were packed, as customers struggled to find a good spot to line up, just before dozens dived for deals during a Black Friday event at the Walmart in Pahrump.

Customers got the signal to start collecting their items to bring to the checkout around 6 p.m. at the 300 S. Highway 160 location. After which, the crowd, which looked like one big mass in some areas, grabbed and pulled TVs, headphones and other sale items, stacked in the center of several aisles.

Lexis Bray stayed out of the fray, somewhat. She was in line, away from the crowds jumping for items, after grabbing one of a limited number of tickets, for what she called a “best buy.”

The Pahrump Walmart had under 200, 39-inch Element Smart TVs, advertised for $125. Bray was purchasing two of them—one destined for a gift and the other for herself.

Not only was it a good deal, Bray said the deal at the local store saved her from a trip to Las Vegas.

An employee at the Pahrump Walmart, said the number of people that came out to the local store was normal this time around.

Across the way, Home Depot saw an increase in sales.

“It was one of our busiest Black Friday openings,” said Teresa Aukeman, specialty sales assistant store manager at the Pahrump Home Depot at 301 N. Highway 160.

Aukeman said people were drawn in by large toolboxes, which sold out in minutes, she said.

While in-store sales were high locally, retailers overall were cleaning up with online sales. According to the retail intelligence unit at Salesforce, Black Friday online sales grew by 24 percent from 2016.

Online shopping on Thanksgiving and Black Friday also increased, with a 17.9 percent rise over 2016, according to Adobe Analytics, Fortune magazine reported.

Overall, online shoppers spent $7.9 billion for the two days. On Black Friday, shoppers spent $5 billion—up from $3.34 billion, roughly a 33 percent increase.

Interestingly, Salesforce said 42 percent of Black Friday orders were through mobile order, with 49 percent from a desktop or laptop.

Cyber Monday was a record for online retailers. According to Adobe Insights, online shoppers spent a record $6.59 billion across the U.S. - up 16.8 percent from last year. The number makes Monday the largest online shopping day in U.S. history.

Adobe tallies 80 percent of the web’s transactions for 100 major U.S. retailers.

Local shoppers, who went the route of online shopping, said it was a matter of not getting what you want for some.

“I like the exhilaration of a shopping spree just as much as the next consumer,” said Pahrump resident Jason Ledbetter, in a response to an online question asking why people chose to shop online. “But over the years, the lure of a cheaper item cannot overcome the disappointment of it being out of stock.”

Char Brown, also of Pahrump, said she likes to have an option on the variety of clothing she can purchase, as she doesn’t “like looking like every typical Pahrumpian, buying the same exact clothes, shoes, boots, etc.,” she said.

Local Pahrump resident Cherish Barham said she doesn’t like dealing with the “long lines and Black Friday craze” when she can have something shipped to her door at a lower price.

Contact reporter Jeffrey Meehan at jmeehan@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes