Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/608286
TheAssociatedPress NEW YORK Black Friday, the unofficial start to the holiday shopping season, isn't always what people expect. In Colorado, for instance, marijuana stores got into the act. In Arizona, fami- lies skipped the spending frenzy to go hiking. And in Chicago, shoppers snapped photos of demonstrators protesting the police shoot- ing of a black teenager. Overall, there seemed to be smaller crowds through- out stores and malls across the country. Here's how the day played out: ProtestsofChicago's Magnificent Mile Hundreds of protesters blocked entrances to stores in Chicago's high-end shop- ping district to draw atten- tion to the police shooting of a black teenager. The demonstration came after the release of a video this week showing the fa- tal shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald last year. The video touched off largely peaceful protests. On Friday, some of the demonstrators in Chicago linked arms to form human chains in front of main en- trances to stores. Store employees directed shoppers to exit from side doors. When one person tried to get through the front door of Saks Fifth Av- enue, protesters screamed at him, shouting, "Shut it down! Shut it down." Entrances were also blocked at the Disney Store, the Apple Store, Nike, Tif- fany & Co., and Neiman Marcus. Many shoppers seemed to take the disturbance in stride, and some even snapped photos of the crowd. Protesters took different approaches. The Rev. Jesse Jackson, for instance, led a prayer with a group from the steps of Chicago's his- toric Water Tower. No mad rush Business was brisk but not overwhelming at a Ma- cy's in Kansas City as rain thatstartedThursdaymorn- ing continued falling. There didn't appear to be any lines more than a few customers deep. Gerri Spencer and her daughter left home at 4 a.m. and made their way to a Macy's store several hours later. Spencer said the crowds seemed sparser than in the past when Black Friday meant "getting out at the crack of dawn" to get the best deals. Some Black Friday shop- pers seemed to miss the hol- iday crowds. At a Kmart in Denver, Susan Montoya had nearly the entire store to herself. She half-heartedly flipped through a rack of girls' holiday party dresses and looked down the store's empty aisles. "There's no one out here! No challenge!" she said. Lynette Norcup also is nostalgic for Black Fridays of the past. Sitting in the warmth of her daughter's SUV waiting for Wal-Mart to open, the resident of Pleasanton, Cal- ifornia said she thinks the excitement has fizzled with stores opening on Thanks- giving. Norcup misses the chal- lenge of strategizing to score deals. Weed Friday Colorado has a new Black Friday tradition: Marijuana shops drawing shoppers with discounted weed and holiday gift sets. At Denver Kush Club in Denver, about two dozen customers were lined up in subfreezing temperatures and snow showers to take advantage of the deals. The first few customers got free joints, free rolling papers and a T-shirt with purchase. Medical custom- ers were offered ounces of marijuana for $99 — a sav- ings of about 50 percent. The shop blasted reg- gae music and welcomed the crowd with Green Fri- day welcome cheers. Sim- ilar deals were offered last year, the first in which retail recreational marijuana sales opened. "We get a lot of people in the first few hours, just like any store on Black Fri- day," said co-owner Joaquin Ortega. He said marijuana gift-givingisbecomingmore common, though most were shopping for themselves Fri- day. Thegreatoutdoors At Catalina State Park just north in Arizona, doz- ens of families and dogs hiked through the saguaro cactus-covered mountains. Many said they didn't plan on shopping on Black Friday anyway. KristaWells,ofTucson,said she wanted her daughters to understand that the holidays are about spending time with family, not shopping. "This is about the season of bringing together and re- flectinguponfamilyandget- ting into the Christmas holi- day.Idon'tthinkthere's are- tail holiday," she said. Jennifer Rojas was hiking down a steep hill with her mother. She said she tries to hikeeveryyearafterThanks- giving and likes to avoid the shopping crowds. "I'd rather appreciate na- ture, rather than being at a mall or watching TV," Rojas said. 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