Bargain shoppers flock to Rockford stores for Black Friday

Ken DeCoster, Rockford Register Star
·2 min read

ROCKFORD — Venturing out to the stores before sunrise on Black Friday is a tradition for Jeanie Heng of Byron.

Barb Manske, left, and her mother Bonnie Lawfer, both of Freeport, leave Kohl’s department store Friday, Nov. 26, 2021, with a bags of Black Friday shopping deals.
Barb Manske, left, and her mother Bonnie Lawfer, both of Freeport, leave Kohl’s department store Friday, Nov. 26, 2021, with a bags of Black Friday shopping deals.

Heng, along with her daughter, Jennifer, and granddaughter, Brooke, arrived at Walmart, 7219 Walton St., at 4:15 a.m. Friday to begin bargain hunting.

“It’s worth it,” Heng said. “We got everything done in one day.”

Walmart was the first of six stores that Heng and her family visited on Black Friday.

The shopping excursion proved to be fruitful.

“We got shoes, clothes, toys and a vacuum cleaner,” Jennifer Heng said.

While stores continue to require customers and employees to wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19, government-imposed capacity restrictions that were in place a year ago are no longer in effect.

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Jeanie Heng, center, of Byron, loads Black Friday purchases into a vehicle on Friday, Nov. 26, 2021, in Rockford. Heng spent the day shopping with her daughter Jennifer Heng, left, and granddaughter Brooke Schulz, both of Leaf River.
Jeanie Heng, center, of Byron, loads Black Friday purchases into a vehicle on Friday, Nov. 26, 2021, in Rockford. Heng spent the day shopping with her daughter Jennifer Heng, left, and granddaughter Brooke Schulz, both of Leaf River.

Barb Manske and her mother, Bonnie Lawfer, drove from Freeport to Rockford, where they purchased gifts at Kohl’s, 6125 E. State St.

“This is the first store we’ve been to and we found lots of deals,” Manske said. “We bought a couple of Fitbits. We got some kids clothes and some towels.”

Manske and Lawfer also planned to shop at Old Navy, Target, Bath & Body Works, Ulta and CherryVale Mall.

Best Buy, 281 Deane Dr., opened its doors to Black Friday shoppers at 5 a.m.

Osbourne Biggin, 23, of Rockford, purchased a TV, a wall mount and a mouse for his computer.

“This is the first time I’ve been out here on Black Friday,” Biggin said. “It was not as busy as I thought it would be. There’s still a lot of people in there, but nothing too crazy.”

Three Best Buy employees loaded a 70-inch television into the back of Jenise Palmer’s car.

Palmer of Rockford said she saved about $200 on the Black Friday purchase.

“It’s a gift for me,” Palmer quipped. “I’m going to drop this off first and then I’m coming back out. I’m going to Walmart, Target and then I’ll go to the mall to see what they have going on.”

Jenise Palmer and a Best Buy employee load a new 70-inch television inside her car Friday, Nov. 26, 2021. Palmer was one of many Black Friday shoppers to hit the stores Friday looking for deals.
Jenise Palmer and a Best Buy employee load a new 70-inch television inside her car Friday, Nov. 26, 2021. Palmer was one of many Black Friday shoppers to hit the stores Friday looking for deals.

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Ken DeCoster: kdecoster@rrstar.com; @DeCosterKen

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Bargain shoppers flock to Rockford stores on Black Friday