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Large crowd at Black Friday Sale
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Posted on Dec 01 2013
The I Love Saipan and Ever Blue Black Friday Sale started at 2am but hundreds of people camped on the streets of Garapan hours before the doors opened to guarantee their spot in a long line of customers all wanting to get their hands on discounted accessories and apparel.
According to store manager Leo Ruluked, last Friday’s sale required months of preparation and countless hours of inventory.
“It takes months of planning. Our buyers work hard to bring in merchandise from abroad to make sure that there is enough inventory for the customers to buy what they want and need,” Ruluked, who has worked with Ever Blue for the past four years, said. “We have a lot of containers come in that I can’t even count. Inventory is the most important part to this Black Friday.”
Ruluked shared that the annual Black Friday event was initiated in 2011 and began around 4am.
One shopper Sylvia Preza said she visited the store in advance to pinpoint the items she will be running to buy when the doors opened early Friday morning.
Lannie Fernandez, an employee, has worked with Ever Blue for the past four years and described the turnout as “positive.” Fernandez took her post at the exit door to check the customer’s shopping bags before they left the building.
“I just grabbed anything I saw,” said shopper Michelle Sablan. “I do not want to do it ever again. This is my first and last time.”
Another shopper literally shopped-till-she-almost-dropped. “I almost fainted,” Shaina Santiago said. Santiago described the scene as she rushed in the store to grab her favorite brands. “There were people fighting and shoving. I almost tripped and fell. I am happy that I am done.”
The nine-hour sale was wiped out within the first hours of opening its doors. Dozens of locals enjoyed discounted prizes and continued to scour the island for other Black Friday sales the same morning.
