WAOW - Newsline 9, Wausau News, Weather, SportsFlu doesn't worry holiday shoppers or retailers

Flu doesn't worry holiday shoppers or retailers

By Heather Sawaski

WESTON (WAOW) -- For most stores, Black Friday is one of the biggest sales days of the year. But will the recent spread of H1N1 and seasonal flu cause shoppers this year to turn off their alarms and stay home?

Managers at Target in Weston say they're not worried.

"Black Friday is Black Friday," said Store Team Leader Jon Ziegler. "Everybody will have their ads, they'll be out, people will take their own precautions because that's what they're doing now. People are still shopping. They're still coming out."

And that was the case Tuesday. The store was buzzing with busy shoppers. Many may not have been holiday shopping quite yet, but those who were scanning the aisles say they won't let anything keep them away the day after Thanksgiving.

"No, we take precautions," said shopper Jennie Moran. "We wash our hands when we get home and leave the stores. It's not a big deal to me."

Andrea Zoul says she is a bit hesitant, but not bothered enough by the flu to park her cart this holiday season.

"It does worry me," she said. "But I'm assuming that a lot of people are probably pretty paranoid about it so they're trying to keep clean."

And store managers aren't batting an eye either. They say last Black Friday was their biggest sales day of the year. And they aren't planning on taking a hit this time around.

"I think it'll be business as usual," Ziegler said. "We're forecasted to do the same amount of sales so I anticipate we will."

The store does offer disinfectant wipes for cart handles and each register has it's own bottle of sanitizer for customers and shoppers.

Online Reporter: Heather Sawaski