GAYLORD -- Although concerns remain high that the faltering economy nationwide could hurt retailers this holiday season, the “Black Friday” tradition appears to be alive and well in Gaylord.

“It’s a tradition. We do it every year,” said Kim Burke of Ann Arbor via Alanson, who, with Carol Burke, also of Ann Arbor, was up and on the road to Gaylord from Alanson around 5 a.m. to take advantage of the “Black Friday” sales at Kohl’s.

Several inches of freshly fallen snow which fell overnight didn’t deter the Burkes and others who flocked to Gaylord’s stores in search of a good deal.

The Burkes were patiently waiting in a long line with other bargain hunters which stretched from the front of the store to the back. “We stopped at Office Max first,” said Carol Burke, who noted the pair have been making the early morning trek to Gaylord “for years” on the day after Thanksgiving.

While Carol said she planned on cutting back on holiday spending this year because of the economic downturn, Kim said she expected to spend about the same as years past.

Kohl’s employee Wayne Wilson, whose first day on the job coincided with Black Friday, was kept busy assisting customers with their packages and had his arms full helping Ginger Laforge of Grayling, with her purchases. “It’s been pretty busy. I came in at six and the lines were really long,” Wilson said of the crowds at Kohl’s.

Mike and Trista Sitz of Gaylord braved the 4 a.m. crush of shoppers at the Alpine Chocolat Haus to take advantage of the store’s annual storewide 40-percent off, two-hour sale. The couple returned to the candy shop several hours after the big sale when the store was merely busy as opposed to crowded.

The Sitzes and other shoppers took advantage of Black Friday sales offered by downtown merchants, including Gaylord sisters Pattie Millikin and Kathie Smith, who were eyeing kitchenware at Isabella’s Copper Pot on North Otsego Avenue. “We can’t think of anywhere else we would rather be shopping right now,” said Millikin.

While the day after Thanksgiving is traditionally considered the biggest shopping day of the year, retailers are more and more taking advantage of “Cyber Monday” online shopping to bolster sales. According to a survey conducted by the National Retail Federation, 83.7 percent of retailers are expected to have special online promotions Monday, up from 72.2-percent from one year ago.

This year, according to a BIGresearch survey, more than half of workers with Internet access, or 72.8 million people, will shop for holiday gifts from work computers. The trend of Internet shopping, the survey reported, has continued to increase, especially with young adults 18-34. In 2005 only 44.7-percent of employees overall with Internet access said they shopped online at work.

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