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<p>WILKES-BARRE TWP. &#8212; Shaking off the turkey-induced haze from Thanksgiving dinner, shoppers stumbled out into the freezing cold temperatures on Black Friday morning.</p><p>But it definitely seemed like there were less of them than in years past.</p><p>Ken Kitts and Stephanie Betterly, of Weatherly, were leaving the newly re-opened Dick&#8217;s Sporting Goods store at the Arena Hub Plaza when they stopped to talk with a reporter.</p><p>The couple said they left their Carbon County home at around 3:30 a.m. Friday, first hitting up the Walmart in Hometown before heading north to go to the Wilkes-Barre Township Walmart. They then stopped at several other stores in the Wilkes-Barre area.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re just about done,&#8221; Kitts said, referring to his Christmas shopping as a whole. &#8220;We got stuff for the three kids.&#8221;</p><p>And while they were certainly happy with their feat of nearly finishing Christmas shopping so early in the season, Betterly did say the usually busy shopping day felt different this year.</p><p>&#8220;It just doesn&#8217;t really feel like Black Friday anymore,&#8221; she said.</p><p>She chalks that up in part to the continual increase in online shopping through outlets such as Amazon, and also to the slow creeping of Black Friday sales into Thanksgiving Day. Many big-box stores now open on the holiday itself.</p><p><strong>&#8216;Thrill of coming out&#8217;</strong></p><p>It seems as though Betterly&#8217;s assessment was at least partially correct.</p><p>Stores were busy and crowded, but it was a far cry from the mayhem of some Black Fridays of yore.</p><p>But still, plenty of customers braved the cold &#8212; Friday&#8217;s high was only 30 degrees &#8212; to try to snag a deal for the holidays. Several customers said that it was the tradition that brought them out more than anything else.</p><p>Dean Carey, of Exeter, stood in line at Best Buy, waiting to purchase a new 43-inch TV and a wireless printer that he was getting for only $20.</p><p>&#8220;I come every year,&#8221; Carey said. &#8220;It&#8217;s for fun, the thrill of coming out.&#8221;</p><p>Carey said the electronics he bought were gifts for other people, but some shoppers were looking for something for themselves.</p><p>Justin Palovchak, also of Exeter, was squeezing his way out of Best Buy with a 55-inch Sharp television with internet capabilities that he was able to pick up for nearly half off. It was one of the bigger deals of the day, with one customer walking out with three in his cart.</p><p>Palovchak said he would be setting up the TV right away, after swapping out a smaller TV he had with his mom. According to him, it was the deal that brought him out.</p><p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t normally go out on Black Friday,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I normally just go online.&#8221;</p><p><strong> &#8216;Any other day&#8217;</strong></p><p>Meanwhile, at the East End Centre where Barnes &amp; Noble has set up a pop-up shop until its main store damaged by the June tornado re-opens, things were a bit less busy.</p><p>Assistant manager Sean Yustat said the store saw a steady stream of customers. But he echoed Betterly&#8217;s sentiment, noting that Black Friday has slowly started to feel more like &#8220;any other day.&#8221;</p><p>Dominick Rendina was looking through books at the store.</p><p>The Larksville man had just come from Gallery of Sound, where he was able to pick up a Black Friday exclusive picture-disc pressing of Weezer&#8217;s cover of Toto&#8217;s hit &#8220;Africa&#8221; on a vinyl record shaped like the titular continent. He was now thumbing through a copy of &#8220;My Squirrel Days,&#8221; a comedic autobiography by &#8220;The Office&#8221; star Ellie Kemper.</p><p>Content with his purchases for the day, Rendina said he was heading home. After all, he still had more than a month to do the rest of his holiday shopping.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Dean Carey, of Exeter, waits in a long line of shoppers to check out at Best Buy on Friday. Carey bought a new 43-inch television and a wireless printer that he was getting for only $20. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_TTL112418Black-Friday2-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Dean Carey, of Exeter, waits in a long line of shoppers to check out at Best Buy on Friday. Carey bought a new 43-inch television and a wireless printer that he was getting for only $20. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_TTL112418Black-Friday3-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Dominick Rendina, of Larksville, looks through books at the Barnes &amp; Noble temporary location at the East End Centre. The store is featuring over 200 signed books for sale this weekend. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_TTL112418Black-Friday3-2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Dominick Rendina, of Larksville, looks through books at the Barnes &amp; Noble temporary location at the East End Centre. The store is featuring over 200 signed books for sale this weekend. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_TTL112418Black-Friday4-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Shoppers check out at the newly reopened Dick&#8217;s Sporting Goods in the Arena Hub Plaza on Black Friday. Dick&#8217;s was badly damaged during the June tornado that tore through Wilkes-Barre Township&#8217;s shopping district. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_TTL112418Black-Friday4-2.jpg</photo2><caption2>Shoppers check out at the newly reopened Dick&#8217;s Sporting Goods in the Arena Hub Plaza on Black Friday. Dick&#8217;s was badly damaged during the June tornado that tore through Wilkes-Barre Township&#8217;s shopping district. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_TTL112418Black-Friday1-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Justin Palovchak, of Exeter, leaves the Best Buy in Wilkes-Barre Township with a new 55-inch television, one of the bigger deals to be had on Black Friday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_TTL112418Black-Friday1-2.jpg</photo3><caption3>Justin Palovchak, of Exeter, leaves the Best Buy in Wilkes-Barre Township with a new 55-inch television, one of the bigger deals to be had on Black Friday. </caption3><photoCredit3>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Shoppers: Black Friday fun, but pace slowed</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Patrick Kernan</p><p>pkernan@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Patrick Kernan at 570-991-6386 or on Twitter @PatKernan</p></shirttailMeta></div>

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‘Doesn’t really feel like Black Friday’: Some say shopping holiday losing its luster