AUGUSTA — With many stores advertising “Black Friday” deals, Maine Attorney General Janet Mills is reminding shoppers that Maine law does not allow stores over 5,000 square feet to be open on Thanksgiving. The intent of the state law is to ensure that retail workers can spend time with families on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. […]
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Posted inMaine
Why have Maine holiday retail sales lagged behind national figures since the recession?
PORTLAND — As more Mainers shop online, the impact on the state’s retail sector is hard to track. But not if you’re Katie Clark. Like a 21st-century Santa making her list and checking it twice, Clark keeps an elaborate spreadsheet to track her online gift-giving. “People have seen the spreadsheet, and it’s epic,” Clark said. […]
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Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Even Maine prisons get into the Black Friday tradition
“For me, I would much rather spend the money on something that is locally crafted,” Judy Carreras, of Stockton Springs, said as the couple and other patrons huddled in their cars in subfreezing temperatures, waiting for the prison’s craft showroom to open. Friday’s sale at the Thomaston showroom, located four miles from Maine State Prison […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
All-night shoppers flock to Black Friday sales in Auburn
AUBURN — Just before 5 a.m. Friday, a band of shoppers stood in the dark waiting to get into the Lamey Wellehan shoe store. They were seasoned Black Friday shoppers, the kind who skip sleep to shop through the night. Pam Brooks of Jay started shopping at midnight at the Farmington Wal-Mart. She was after […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
#SJBlackFriday: Shoppers search stores for ‘steals’
Sun Journal staff are out with the shoppers on Black Friday. What follows is a collection of photos and social media posts. You can share your shopping experiences with us at: Twitter: @SunJournal Facebook: Facebook.com/SunJournal Instagram: Instagram.com/SunJournal Email: blackfriday@sunjournal We also will look for social media posts using the #SJBlackFriday hashtag. We will publish interesting reports and photos on […]
Posted inMaine
Maine skiers revel in ‘White Friday’
NEWRY — While shoppers rushed to stores early Friday to cash in on the first of the holiday-season deals, Maine skiers and snowboarders were flocking to the slopes to enjoy extra-early, extra-good snow conditions, thanks to a storm that walloped the region Wednesday night. “This is the best conditions have been for Thanksgiving Day weekend […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Black Friday sales expected to grow on consumer confidence
It will be more than a big shopping day: You could call this year’s Black Friday a “takeover.” Experts predict a larger percentage of people will be shopping on Black Friday, 66 to 68 percent, compared to 55 percent last year. More retailers are opening earlier, but because of Maine’s Blue Law, big stores can’t […]
Posted inOxford Hills, The Franklin Journal
18th annual Crafts and Wares Fair in Bethel scheduled for Nov. 28
BETHEL — The Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce will host its 18th annual Crafts and Wares Fair from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 28. at the Bethel Inn Resort’s conference center. It’s a way for residents to shop locally on Black Friday. Jessie Perkins, events and marketing manager for the chamber, said the […]
Posted inBusiness
Black Friday attracts night owls, early birds and power-nappers
AUBURN — Staggered Black Friday openings created three kinds of shoppers: the all-nighters, the hard-core early-risers and those who began at midnight, took a power nap and got right back at it. Sheila Roy of Lewiston fit into the final category. She started her Thanksgiving Day by getting up at 6:30 a.m. “We exercised, had […]
Posted inAdvertiser Democrat, Business, The Franklin Journal
Holding the line for sales
AUBURN — With many retail stores opening their doors at 12:01 a.m. on Black Friday, people began lining up at Best Buy and Walmart on Thursday afternoon. Carolee Taylor of Auburn and her daughter, Debbie McCue, huddled in the doorway starting at 1:20 p.m. as the wind picked up outside Walmart on Mt. Auburn Avenue. […]