STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

No less, and maybe a little more.

That’s basically how retailers around Meadville summed up their sales for Friday’s traditional kick-off to the holiday shopping season.

And that assessment seems not too bad, considering that national business analysts have predicted higher gas prices, rising heating fuel costs, tightening credit, lower home values and dangerous toys may add up to the slowest holiday shopping season in five years.

“Things are going very well — I’d say better than last year,” said Chuck Schultz, manager at Kmart in Vernon Township, on Friday afternoon. “I think people stayed right here in Meadville this year” to shop because of the day’s snowy weather.

Anna Pinto and her children, Erico and Luane, are a Brazilian family visiting the area for the holiday. They said they made a stop at Kmart on Friday to take advantage of some of the store’s deals.

“This is my first Black Friday in the United States,” Pinto said as she and her kids stood in front of a cart full of clothes, Christmas decorations and other assorted items, including a couple of Nintendo Wii games. “Everything is so much cheaper, so people can spend more.”

Alan Moss, owner of the In Phase gift shop at the Downtown Mall, said business at his store seemed a little slow Friday, but noted that Black Friday isn’t traditionally one of that store’s busiest holiday shopping days. The Saturday after Black Friday “is often a little better,” he said.

At Wal-Mart in Vernon, store co-manager Tom Hunt said it was business as usual. Business “is good. Right now, it’s about the same as last year,” he said Friday afternoon.

Elsewhere in the region, Prime Outlets in Grove City opened its doors at midnight Friday, offering ardent shoppers an additional 25 percent to 50 percent off items in nearly all stores.

Pennsylvania State Police made sure Black Friday shopping at the outlets ran smoothly by posting dozens of officers at the outlets beginning at 9 p.m. Thursday.

Last year, the outlets’ post-Thanksgiving discounts led to hours of gridlock on Interstate 79, with people parking their cars along the highway to get to the outlet mall shops.

Police say officers helped direct traffic into the parking lots. At midnight, when the main area filled up, police directed traffic to alternate lots.