Widow’s Perch Shoppers Arrive!

Appeared in Widow’s Perch Herald on November 30th, 1987

The Widow’s Perch shopping season began last Friday, and no place was busier than the Perch Palace Mall. Just like last year, the mall’s seldom-illuminated blue and pink neon lights were lit up in full force, though they do somewhat clash with the red, green, and white themed Christmas decorations. The doors opened at eight in the morning, and patrons from Widow’s Perch, Firetown, and other smaller surrounding towns flooded in and quickly filled up the winter wonderland as familiar seasonal tunes permeate the air.

In the Santa’s Polar Railroad play area, Nick himself takes gift requests and the little running train gives children rides to keep them occupied, while parents cram themselves into the many stores of the mall. Some took advantage of sales on durable goods like washers and refrigerators at Sears, while others took care of all of their young ones’ lists in one swoop at Kay-Bee Toys. It’s the one day of the year where the toy store is filled to the brim, but almost exclusively with adults.

The shopping day after Thanksgiving has marked the beginning of the money-making time of year for retailers across the country for several decades, and it is now called “Black Friday” in some areas in the Midwest and on the East Coast; it is said that it is when stores can finally be on their way to being “in the black” on their budgets instead of running a deficit. If trends continue, stores may compete with even deeper discounts and begin to open earlier than usual.

I’m always the most curious about the hottest selling toys of any given year, as they tend to be very different every season, unlike the more steadily shifting trends in jewelry, clothing, and hardware. The Nintendo NES video game system was once again selling very well, and many were sold with one or two games, like The Legend of Zelda fantasy adventure game. Among the new hits at the toy store were the cheap, fuzzy “Koosh Ball” and the ALF doll, the alien character from the popular television show. If your kids have been begging for these gifts and you didn’t grab them over the weekend, good luck finding these hot items now! For best results, try a day trip to our neighbor, Salem.