On Friday, the Fontaine family woke up at 4 a.m. to make sure they could be first in line to the Hooksett destination. In their drive-in cinema, they sang Christmas carols – the only music allowed in the car.
Grandmother Didi Fontaine wears a Santa hat every year, and her 12-year-old granddaughter Eva, who shopped on Black Friday for the first time this year, followed suit.
“I’ve been doing this for 50 years, and my 85-year-old mother still does it,” said Didi Fontaine.
This family rite begins at age 12, “because you have to be able to walk and last 20 hours,” jokes Jennifer Fontaine, Eva’s mother. “[We] are too old to carry bags; now we have brought children with us.”
While waiting in a line of about 25 people for the doors to open, they reviewed the plan to snag the pajamas Eva was looking for.
The Fontaines look happy but are also a bit worried. Jennifer Fontaine said they don’t usually buy much; They like to get up early, but inflation this year could motivate them to buy even less.
“We sense that prices are going up,” she said.
Many buyers experienced the same situation. High electricity and food prices lured them to hunt down Black Friday deals, but many came empty-handed or without the items they wanted.
“It’s not quite the same as it used to be,” said April Burnham. She went to a local Walmart in Manchester with her 14-year-old daughter Adisson, who was out on her first Black Friday.
“It’s not the same as it used to be,” Burnham said.
She expected better prices and more people fighting over TVs and gaming consoles, but didn’t find it. The Burnhams only bought a set of lights and a video game controller, which they weren’t sure were on sale. They were on their way to another store to see if they would have better luck elsewhere.
Alison Fritz and her sisters were looking for craft toys for Christmas, but she said some of the items they bought last year were more expensive this year. They said they’re at least glad their kids prefer these toys to digital ones.
“That would have been expensive!” said Alison Fritz.
The Fritzes missed out on Black Friday nights out during the pandemic and were looking forward to returning to stores. They said although they’re looking for deals, what really got them out is their memories of doing it as a family.
