HOULTON, Maine — For the past three weeks, Helen McCormick has been on a mission.
The Houlton grandmother of nine knows that her youngest granddaughter wants a “Hatchimals” toy, one of the hottest children’s items on the market this holiday season. The toy comes in an egg shell and then opens into a snuggly toy of varying colors.
“I have looked everywhere for that toy and have tried various places online, but it is sold out every time I try,” she said. “She is 5 years old and really wants one.”
That is why she spent an hour waiting outside in the cold before the Wal-Mart in Houlton opened at 12:01 a.m. Friday, hoping that she would be able to find the toy there. That hope diminished after the toys were quickly snatched up by others.
Skip Keegan, manager of the Houlton store, said that approximately 400 people had formed a line around the building by the time the store opened, and the Hatchimals toy was the most popular item.
“They are by far the hottest toy this year,” he said. “Parents really wanted them and they asked for them even after they were gone from our shelves,” he said.
Electronics, bed sheets and other domestic items also were popular, he said.
At the Super Wal-Mart in Presque Isle, manager John Billings said that store was “very busy” on Friday. He recalled previous years being busier, but shoppers seemed to be staying in the store to shop longer this year, he said.
“The Hatchimals toy also is very in demand here,” he said. “Television and tablets also are very popular.”
Presque Isle resident Dakota Henderson said she and three friends spent two hours shopping at the local store shortly after 9 a.m. and found great deals on clothing and household goods.
“We’ve all done the get up and stand in line in the cold for hours to shop on Black Friday thing, and we are over that,” she said. “The deals are still there later on in the day.”
Business also was brisk at Country Collectibles in Presque Isle, where co-owner Mary McAllister said that shoppers were frequenting the store throughout the day for gifts such as Yankee Candles and other trinkets.
“They started coming in the doors right as soon as we opened,” she said. “It has been pretty steady all afternoon.”
Joe Sleeper, the owner/operator of Sleeper’s in Caribou, said he was concerned prior to Black Friday about how the weak Canadian dollar would impact sales. As of Friday, one loonie equaled 74 cents U.S.
“Leading into today, it has been challenging for Canadians to come over with Canadian money,” he said. “And despite us opening early, traffic was not out as early as I had hoped. It picked up later in the day so we may meet the numbers that I had hoped to meet. It happened at a later stage than I would have liked. I won’t really know until we do the cash out this weekend.”
McCormick, who went home on Black Friday without the Hatchable, said she was going to search again on Cyber Monday, a day in which online retailers provide exceptional bargains to consumers.
“Fingers crossed, I will have some success then,” she said Friday.
