Black Friday Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Keys To Staying Safe This Shopping Season

It’s holiday shopping season, and many wish lists are fulfilled online.

The West Virginia Attorney General’s Office advises extra caution when shopping online during the holidays.

“Consumers need to exercise extra caution when shopping online because this is the time of year when scammers try to take advantage of increased consumer activity,” Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said in a statement.

Morrisey advises that shoppers check the credentials of the website to make sure the retailer is legitimate. This can be done by looking up reviews of retailers and sticking with well known brands.

Consumers should rely upon secure payment systems and make sure any payment website starts with “https://” as the “s” indicates a secure page. Credit cards are recommended over debit cards, because credit card companies offer more consumer protections.

Shoppers are also advised to double check the delivery date before checking out. If no date is provided, the retailer has 30 days to ship the product.

The office also says to be careful when having products delivered to your home, as porch thefts increase during the holiday season.

Anyone who believes they have been the victim of a scam should contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at 800-368-8808 or file a complaint online.

Shoppers Beware Of Holiday Scams, Warns W.Va. Attorney General

West Virginia’s Attorney General is warning holiday shoppers to stay alert as scams ramp up during the busy Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping rush.

Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is urging consumers to stay vigilant during the busy holiday shopping season to avoid falling victim to seasonal scams. With the surge of shopping activity around Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Morrisey warns that scammers are eager to exploit unsuspecting shoppers.

“Whether you’re shopping online or in stores, the holiday season provides scammers with opportunities to steal identities or money,” Morrisey said. “Be vigilant with your personal information to keep it out of their hands.”

Morrisey recommends limiting the use of debit cards and instead using credit cards, which offer stronger protections for disputing charges if goods or services fail to arrive. Debit cards, he noted, provide no special protections and are equivalent to cash.

For online shoppers, the attorney general advises verifying the legitimacy of websites and coupons. Consumers should be cautious of sites with spelling errors, low-quality images, or mismatched URLs. Secure payment systems should be used, and shoppers should ensure websites begin with “https://” which indicates a secure page.

In-store shoppers are advised to leave Social Security cards at home, lock purchases in their trunks and watch for card skimmers.

Skimming occurs when devices illegally installed on or inside ATMs, point-of-sale (POS) terminals, or fuel pumps capture card data and record cardholders’ PIN entries.

Morrisey also recommends the use of RFID-blocking wallets to protect against electronic pickpocketing.

Anyone who suspects they have been scammed is encouraged to contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-368-8808 or visit the office online at www.ago.wv.gov.

State Park Bird Walk Alternative To Black Friday

As an alternative to the indoor shopping extravaganza known as Black Friday, a movement called ‘#optoutside’ urges people to get closer to parks, trails, community areas and the joy of being outdoors on that particular day

As an alternative to the indoor shopping extravaganza known as Black Friday, a movement called “#OptOutside” urges people to get closer to parks, trails, community areas and the joy of being outdoors.

WVPB’s Randy Yohe took full advantage of the Friday alternative, going on a Blackwater Falls State Park birding hike.

Before we left the lodge – I was dressed in layers for a cold woodland walk and beginning to perspire – Laura Ceperley gave some binocular tuning tips. A West Virginia master naturalist with a focus on birding, Ceperely finally got our small band of birders outside.

We saw some crows right off the bat. Ceperley told the group her parents got her into birding at a young age, and as she got older, a casual hobby got more serious.

She told the group that black-capped chickadees are plentiful in the Mountain State. Ceperley said what is most wonderful about wild and wonderful West Virginia’s bird population is its diversity.

“In the summer we have these beautiful birds that come back, some of which come all the way from Argentina,” Ceperley said. “Others just come from the southeast, so we have those. We have beautiful resident birds like the cardinal and the chickadees. And then in the winter, we get some birds from the north that we don’t see very often, including a lot of waterfowl.”

Ceperly explained it’s not all about songs in bird identification, you need to pay attention to drums and chipping noises as well. She said there’s a birding app called Merlin that is a birdwatcher’s must.

We meandered around the forest for about an hour, not seeing many birds, but getting a beak full of knowledge. Ceperly said you don’t have to be a committed devotee nowadays to enjoy birding.

“It’s a lot more accessible now for people that don’t want to devote their life to it because there’s all these apps and uses of your phone that allow you to identify and understand birds in an easier way,” she said. “Then, you get outside and you meet some really nice people.”

I met some very nice people on this birding hike. I got outside, in a state park and am proud to say my lifelong streak of never shopping on Black Friday continued with a song, a drum and a chirp.

10 Early Signs Of Alzheimer’s And Birding On Black Friday, This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, as an alternative to the indoor shopping extravaganza known as Black Friday, a movement called “hashtag opt outside” urges people to get closer to parks, trails, community areas and the joy of being outdoors on that particular day. Randy Yohe took full advantage of the Friday alternative, going on a Blackwater Falls State Park birding hike.

Also, in this show, throughout the year, News Director Eric Douglas has been reporting on caring for older parents in a series of stories called “Getting Into Their Reality: Caring for Aging Parents.” Coming into the holidays, when families come together, it might be a good time to pay attention to the signs of the onset of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Douglas spoke with Teresa Morris, program director for the West Virginia chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, who outlined the 10 signs to look for.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.

Caroline MacGregor is our assistant news director and produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

W.Va. Major Retailers To Close On Thanksgiving

Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, more stores are closing on Thanksgiving — and staying closed until the next morning for Black Friday. These stores will be closed on Thanksgiving: Best Buy, DICK’S Sporting Goods, Hobby Lobby, Kroger, Walgreens, non-24 hour CVS, Home Depot, Kohl’s, Lowe’s, Marshalls, PetCo, PetSmart, Sam’s Club, Target, Walmart, Piggly Wiggly and Aldi.

Updated on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023 at 10:45 a.m.

Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, more stores are closing on Thanksgiving — and staying closed until the next morning for Black Friday.

These stores will be closed on Thanksgiving: Best Buy, DICK’s Sporting Goods, Hobby Lobby, Kroger, Walgreens, non-24 hour CVS, Home Depot, Kohl’s, Lowe’s, Marshalls, PetCo, Petsmart, Sam’s Club, Target, Walmart, Piglet Wiggly and Aldi.

Bridget Lambert, president of the West Virginia Retailers Association said this is part of a growing trend of stores to close on, and around the holidays since the pandemic.

“Traditionally, retailers have started closing more in the last three or four years,” Lambert said. “So yes, a lot of the larger retailers will be closed Thanksgiving Day. The grocery chains, some of them are open during the day, but will be closing early in the evening so that their employees will have time to spend with their families.”

Piggly Wiggly and Kroger will be open until 4 p.m. Twenty-four hour CVS’s will only be open until 5 p.m. Walgreens usual 24 hour pharmacy will be open with varied hours.

Lambert said this change is part of a cultural shift in attitudes about work life balance from major retailers.

“They certainly want to meet their customer demands, but also know the needs of their employees,” Lambert said.

Lambert said the trend has been on the rise, and she expects that it will continue into the future.