At this time of the year, it is interesting to look back and recall the good days and the time when the store turned into a professional wrestling ring the day after Thanksgiving.

Remember that Black Friday was once the main cause of dizziness in women over 65? Remember when people lined up in the cold for two hours in order to have a chance to buy bath towels for $2.99?

Just like the rest of our lives, the Internet has changed the way we shop on Black Friday. It is no longer an excessive rope battle royal, but there are still some great deals waiting to be discovered.

When I think of Black Friday sales, I think of TVs-big TVs with ridiculously low prices. Times may have changed, but Wal-Mart is still the place to buy the best TV deals on the planet.

"Television is the only thing I've seen with such a big price cut," said Manie Newby, an employee who has worked at Wal-Mart for 36 years. "Everything else is rising, but the price of TVs is declining. This year we will launch a 70-inch TV priced at $398. It is ONN, which is Wal-Mart’s own brand, but it is a very good TV. . Almost none of us can return."

The maximum size of TVs sold by Wal-Mart is 75 inches, which is a far cry from the era when 19-inch color TVs were a sign of your life in a wealthy family.

"Once you bring it home, 75 inches is really big," Manie said. "It may not look that big in the store, but once you put it in the living room, it must be big."

Laptops and mobile phones are two other items that are sure to appear on many shoppers’ Christmas lists.​​​ Mani also pointed out that vinyl records and record players are once again popular.

"We now sell more vinyl records than CDs," Manie said. "And we also sold a lot of record players. It has disappeared, but it's making a comeback."

Manie himself is an interesting story, having worked in all three Wal-Mart stores in McMinnville. When Wal-Mart was located in the building where Tractor Supply is today, he started working for the company.

When Wal-Mart was in Lowe's today, he moved to Wal-Mart. When Wal-Mart moved into its current location, he moved again. As far as I know, this was nearly 25 years ago. How could it be a long time ago?

"Working here, you can see everyone in the community, I just love it," Manie said. "When I first started, I wondered if I could hold on for a week. It's been 36 years now and I just love it. We have such a great crew. Our store manager Tim Fox will do this. Everything. He takes delivery. He sweeps the floor. He can do anything, and he doesn't have to."

As for his views on Black Friday and how it has become more prosaic in the past five years, Manie said: “The excitement still exists, but through online shopping, the store is not as crowded, so people are more patient. You don’t have to enter the store to get into the store as you did in the past. Get great discounts, so I think it will lead to less crowds and a better atmosphere."

Wal-Mart closes on Thanksgiving and opens at 5 a.m. on Friday.

Provide large savings in large quantities

For a while, not long ago, when I was writing about Black Friday sales, I talked about JC Penney, Sears, Goody's, and Radio Shack.

Sadly, these chains are closed in McMinnville, so there are fewer and fewer remaining national chains that can offer amazing Black Friday access control specials.

Big lots is one of the remaining chain stores. Starting from Thanksgiving, when Big lots opens from 7 am to 9 pm, there will be some important sales

Sherrie Shields took me to the Big lot on Friday and showed me all the amazing sales that will happen in a few days.

If you like to relax and support your feet on the recliner, Big lots recliners start at as low as $199. It has been several months since I entered our large plot and I must admit that I was surprised to see how much the furniture part has grown. Someone told me that furniture sales are booming, which is why sofas and loveseats account for most of the store's share.

If you want a bath towel for $2.99-who doesn't? – The shelves of Big lot will be full of them. Broyhill bed sheets will enjoy a 50% discount, and the usual $20 blanket will be reduced to $14.99.

I hate that high-volume employees have to work on Thanksgiving, but they are optimistic about it and say this is part of retail life.

I will not list all the items for sale in the Big lots flyer, but it seems to be an extensive list, so you may want to check it out at the Northgate Center this Thursday to Sunday.

At the monthly meeting of the Industrial Development Committee on Thursday, there was a lot of discussion about the property tax concessions offered to David Hunt, the owner of our new Hampton Inn hotel.

Without trying to overcomplicate a very complex subject, I will grab some key points and try to avoid all confusing details.

When Mr. Hunt signed an agreement to build a hotel here in September 2018, he signed a TIF agreement with the Industry Council. TIF stands for Tax Incremental Financing, and it is basically a way for Mr. Hunter to save on property taxes, because he said this is a hotel project worth $11.3 million, which can be quite substantial.

One of the main questions at the IDB meeting on Thursday is whether TIF will expand to retail development projects in front of the hotel. Anyone passing by can see that the retail center is far from finished-it is on sale.

The members of the Industry Council discussed the property tax savings achieved through the TIF agreement if Mr. Hunter sold the retail center. And, if he decides to sell the hotel in a few years, what will happen to TIF?