Shoppers looking for Christmas gifts tend to come out in big numbers on this day after Thanksgiving.  In Oskaloosa, Friday (11/27) is Plaid Friday, where some local businesses are offering discounts if you wear plaid. Many merchants have had sales prior to Black Friday in order to ease crowding due to coronavirus concerns.  April Gorski, manager of Book Vault in Oskaloosa, was asked how business has been heading into Black Friday.

“I think people are shopping early and that’s a good idea because, as we all know, supply chains have been under a lot of stress this year. We here at the Book Vault have had a fairly robust start considering the pandemic and considering what sales have been for the rest of the year for us.  We’ve been staying pretty busy and it seems like people are really trying to do their shopping a bit earlier and with more forethought than just waiting til the last minute.  I’ll see how that bears out as we get to the last minute.”

Gorski also says Plaid Friday rolls into the national Small Market Saturday campaign, which encourages you to shop locally.  There’s more information about Oskaloosa’s Plaid Friday on Facebook at Osky Plaid Friday 2020.