By By Janet Little Cooper
After the Thanksgiving turkey has been devoured tomorrow, hundreds of people will canvas the multitude of sales papers that will accompany their newspaper this week for the best bang for their buck.
With the large number of retail stores available in Pensacola and Mobile, these same people will also have to make a plan of attack in order to conquer the early morning specials before all of the great deals are gone.
Because of the frenzy generated each year on "Black Friday", the largest shopping day of the season, Friday would be a good day for residents to do their after Thanksgiving shopping right here at home in Atmore.
Atmore retailers have some of the same items as the larger stores at the same price with less hassle.
"We carry the same sale items as the dealers in Pensacola and Mobile and by trading in Atmore you help the city tax base in the county," Radio Shack owner Daulton Anderson said. "It helps the city by shopping locally as well as the county and state. It helps us all."
The newest retail-clothing store in Atmore, Peebles, is geared up as well with a store full of holiday bargains.
"We are opening at 7 a.m. on Friday and at 8 a.m. Saturday," Peebles store manager Mark Booth said. "I am not really sure what to expect this year due to it being our first year as Peebles. We are definitely going to have additional staff on hand to help assist the shoppers as they come in. When the store was still operating as Moore's we usually had a good turnout and Peebles runs better promotions than Moore's did and has a wider selection for the entire family."
According to Booth's past sales experience in Atmore, residents seeking the out of town bargains often times return to Atmore for their purchases.
"A lot of people go to Mobile or Pensacola and fight the early morning crowds and then come back to us in the afternoon to buy items they couldn't find or just got too tired of waiting in line for. I just wish that everyone would give us a chance and try us first before making the trip out of town. I believe that we are competitive in our market."
The Atmore Area Chamber of Commerce also offers a shopping alternative that will keep the holiday dollars in Atmore.
Gift certificates that are redeemable at more than 25 local businesses can be purchased at the Chamber office on Pensacola Avenue.
The Atmore Advance has provided shoppers with a special gift guide in today's paper in an effort to encourage patrons to shop local businesses first.