(Image source from: Bomb scare dampens Black Friday sales in Phoenix Walmart )

While Walmart stores across the state were busy doling out best Black Friday sales to their customers, a certain Walmart store in Phoenix had to be closed down following a hoax bomb scare on Friday.

Confirming the news, Phoenix Police Department spokesman James Holmes said that someone called in a bomb threat to the store at 19th Avenue and Bethany Home Road at about 2:15 p.m. yesterday, following which they had to close down the store.

Store managers immediately jumped into action and evacuated customers and employees as police launched a bomb hunt in the premises. However, despite an hour-long search, they failed to recover any suspicious item.

The bomb hoax coincided with the traditional launch of the nation’s holiday shopping season — Black Friday, the busiest and most lucrative shopping day of the year for retailers.

AW: Suchorita Dutta Choudhury