Early Black Friday numbers show sales for some local stores on the rise. But other area retailers are still feeling a drag on their profits.
The first big weekend of the holiday shopping season is over but local retailers are just starting to add up the cash. And some area store owners say they're surprised the busy weekend is paying off.
"Right from the beginning people were coming in and shopping," said Golden Shoes Owner Bill Golden. Golden says sales jumped nearly ten percent over last year. And their sales are intensifying with the weather. "The snow helps everybody needs boots in northern Michigan and everybody is still coming in to buy them," said Golden.
And at the M-22 store the manager says they were not expecting record breaking sales, but this weekend the profits were pouring in. "We had great sales we were actually up from last year and had a really good weekend," said Manager Ali Hoxsie.
But at other area shops Black Friday may not have been enough to get their budgets out of the red. At Spirals shop the owner says the markdowns drew more shoppers but not much more profit. "For me sales have been down about five percent, but on Saturday it picked up and I was ahead," said Owner Mary Marherzog.
But in order to stay ahead store owners say they'll be banking on more big shopping sales days on the week before Christmas.
