| Alte Public Foren • and misses shopping there |
| 13.03.2014, 01:51 - hlfnczybzda5 - Leutnant - 495 Posts Some shoppers wait hours for Forever 21's grand opening Nearly 800 eager shoppers mostly young women,cheap louboutin shoes, and the occasional young man lined the wall of what used to be Gottschalks, the main entrance to the mall, and soon wrapped around the corner of the JC Penney store as they waited for 10 o'clock to arrive.Many shoppers arrived early in hopes of being in the first group of 400 customers, who were promised gift cards in amounts as high as $210, according to Forever 21 promotions online.PHOTO GALLERY of the grand openingWhile some people entered the line just before the opening moment, others had been waiting for hours almost 12 hours, in some cases.Nikki Kline, 20, arrived at the store's doors with friends at midnight and spent the sleepless night waiting in hopes of receiving a gift card valued at $210, she said. She was disappointed in the morning when she found out that the gift cards, which ranged in value from $10 to $210,Louboutin soldes, were going to be handed out at random, instead of in order of value,cheap christian louboutin shoes, she said.Kline had hoped her spot in front of the line, and the sleepless hours she spent outside the store's doors, would guarantee her one of the highest valued gift cards."We sacrificed a lot,sac longchamps pas cher," she said. "And we could end up with $10."However, Kline's uncertainty did not outweigh the excitement she felt to have the store opening in Chico. She usually travels to San Francisco every two to three months to shop at Forever 21, she said.The size of Forever 21 and the affordable clothing it offers will make shopping easier for young people in the Chico community, she said. Before the store's arrival, many young women had to visit multiple small stores in the mall to find outfits for school and other special occasions."One time, we went through the whole mall and downtown, and didn't find anything we liked," Nattress said.And while Nattress is enthusiastic about shopping at the new store,tn pas cher france, she is skeptical about its future. She speculates that, like many stores in Chico, the store may be moved to smaller location or go out of business."A store this big, with all the competition, and the economy as it is right now, it's not likely to last," she said.Also, the Sacramento and upcoming Yuba City locations may cause the Chico location's business to suffer, she said. One of them was Chico resident Kassie Sands, 26, who has been traveling to Sacramento for the past four years about every six months to shop at its Forever 21 store, she said.And while Sands was sad to see Gottschalks go, and misses shopping there, the openness of the location's layout will make it easier to shop than in many other Forever 21 locations, such as Sacramento's, that have limited space, she said.Sands also noted that Chico has a significant market for the store, and it will likely survive in the community for a long time that is, "if the mall lasts," she said. for a meeting,Chaussure Louboutin femme, in which the store manager got them excited about the grand opening event.In about 15 minutes, the 400 gift cards had been distributed, and the remaining customers in line were given 10 percent off coupons and stainless steel water bottles. After about 25 minutes, the entire line had entered the store and were feverishly searching racks and scanning the store for much anticipated clothing items at affordable prices.Kline, who kept her spirits high despite her lack of sleep, could be seen shopping deep in the store within 10 minutes of its doors opening. She smiled,trousse longchamp, along with friend Nicole Alderman, 23, when she revealed that she was given a $100 gift card, and Alderman had received one of the two prized $210 gift cards. The girls had promised one another throughout the night that they would combine the value of their gift cards and split the money in half, no matter what.Kline and Alderman slumped over with armfuls of clothes,nike tn pas cher, and said they were happy with the selection of clothing, but wished they had a cart or bag to help them lug their items around the store,besace longchamp, they said.Mike Bard,air jordan 1, regional loss prevention for Forever 21 locations on the West Coast, said he had "no idea" how many people would visit the store throughout the day,christian louboutin uk, but it was likely that shoppers would travel from communities outside of Chico. The almost 1,000 person turnout at the opening event was "fairly common,tn pas cher," he said.About 100 of the 150 employees were present at the grand opening event, and kept busy hanging clothes, organizing the five dressing rooms and ringing customers up at the nearly 20 registers in the store. A strong effort was made to hire past employees from Gottschalks and Mervyn's, Bard said.Employees who were laid off after working in the mall and at other local retailers understand the community, have already established relationships with mall security and understand the retail environment in Chico, he said.Saturday also marked the grand opening of Forever 21 stores in Riverside and Hemet, and about 600 jobs were created throughout California from the three stores combined. Forever 21 is "one of the few retailers out there that is exploding," he said.The low prices of basic clothing items, such as denim and basic T shirts, has helped most customers stay loyal to the store, and has drawn in others who can no longer afford higher end clothing, he said.???????? 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