Shoppers get early start on Black Friday specials

Weeks of pre-holiday deals and the pressures of a stubborn recession were not enough to dim the shopping spirit for thousands across Delaware as Black Friday arrived in the pre-dawn hours.

Lines were the order of the day, from the long snaking queue outside the new Target store at Christiana Mall to the 600-person mass waiting to crowd into Boscov’s at Christiana Town Center to the cars circling Christiana Mall all day.

Ken Brennan, the Boscov’s store manager, spoke for many retailers in estimating crowds at perhaps 20 percent above last year’s Black Friday turnout, saying he had sensed a building of consumer optimism for the past four or five weeks.

“We have had a strong day,” Brennan said.

In a bid to grab shoppers before the traditional start to the holiday shopping season, a number of stores — including Old Navy, Toys R us, Sears and Walmart — opened on Thanksgiving. Toys R us drew in shoppers with 50 percent discounts on toys like Buzz Lightyear and Barbie.

The early start did not stop Tina LaBella, 45, from joining the mob near the front of the line for the 4 a.m. opening at the new Christiana Mall Target.

“I did this Thanksgiving morning” as well, she said. “I was at Kmart at 4:30 [Thursday], and I was the first in line.”

What drew LaBella to two pre-dawn lines?

“Everything. Camcorder, stereo — I had the whole cart full,” she said, adding that she would also be putting in a full day’s work after the morning’s excursion.

At the Tanger Outlet Center outside Rehoboth Beach, crowds swarmed shops and sidewalks in search of deals. Many stores jumped the gun on the center’s midnight opening, welcoming shoppers at 11 p.m. or earlier.

One of the stores sticking to a midnight opening was the Lenox outlet store, where Joanne Malone of Philadelphia waited outside with her brother in what has become a holiday tradition. she was in search of clothes for her older daughter and Kate Spade and Coach handbags, though she had not yet braved the long line in front of the Coach outlet, which was limiting entrance to a few people at a time.

“It looked intense,” she said.

Bonding time with relatives

After all the pre-Black Friday deals and online offerings, shoppers still ventured out in the cold and drizzly rain in the middle of the night.

“There’s so many different choices that you have,” Malone said, gesturing at the range of stores at the outlets, from shoes to Sony electronics. “Plus, it’s a fun bonding experience.”

Some said they still were cutting back on holiday shopping given the uncertainty of the economy.

“We’re just buying for our kids — my husband and I aren’t buying gifts for each other,” said Lonnie Wynn, 30, of Lewes, loaded down with three large bags from the Disney Store outlet. “Getting the deal, that’s why I’m here.”

She said lines were looming large at first, but time passed quickly. “I didn’t know if I wanted to do it at first,” she said. “I usually come a little bit later, but I was awake.”

Dana Pusey, 26, of Wilmington, waited in line just after midnight at the Sony outlet store, drawn by a 30 percent to 50 percent storewide discount. it was enough to attract her in her hunt for a flat-screen LED television.

“It’s insane,” she said of the crowds, as two men muscled out of the store carrying three flat-screen sets between them.

For the third year in a row, Bonnie Lister of Harrington took her family to the outlets, this time in search of clothing at Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister for her daughters. they mostly found what they were looking for. the girls were weighed down with multiple Abercrombie bags.

“The deals are pretty good,” Lister said. “It was worth coming out here. … It’s fun, just fun.”

The foursome of Jennifer Massotti, mother Donna McGhee, mother-in-law Debbie Massotti and friend Amber Morgan journeyed south from Houston and Lincoln, mainly looking for presents for their kids and grandkids. they hit the Disney Store and Children’s place and were planning a trip to Dover later Friday.

“We’re nuts,” Jennifer Massotti declared, adding that the shopping experience was almost as good as the deals. “It’s very rare that you get to go shopping all night with family and friends. It’s exhilarating.”

Farther north, die-hards lined up outside the new Target at Christiana in the wee hours. When the doors opened at 4 a.m., the line strung nearly out of sight.

Christiana Mall opened for a more general sort of mayhem at 6 a.m., and soon, few of the mall’s 6,100 parking spaces were available.

“We’re at about 75 percent capacity right now, and the mall’s not even open yet,” said Steven Chambliss, Christiana’s manager, at about 5:30 a.m. “We’ll get cranked up in the next half hour or so, and we’ll be full.”

It stayed that way at the mall for most of the day. Drivers came to a complete stop on ramps from Del. 1 and Del. 7 leading to the center.

Some drivers grew so frustrated trying to find parking, they abandoned their cars on grassy areas along fences surrounding the lot and walked the rest of the way. Other visitors parked in front of stores in a smaller shopping center across from the mall, breathlessly toting their bags through its parking lot, across the street and to their cars.

Key test for Christiana Mall

Across the mall road at Michaels Arts and Crafts, shopping was much calmer.

Cathy Loppatto, of Elkton, Md., said she was at the tail end of a four-hour shopping visit, and her strategy included only one element.

“I didn’t want to come too early, so I just came about 1 or so,” she said. Avoiding the crowds was an absolute must, although not entirely doable when shoppers from throughout the region converged on the mall for a tax-free shopping spree.

For Christiana, this holiday season stands as a key test of the mall’s multimillion-dollar makeover. on Friday, the crowds seemed younger, and possibly less frenetic than usual, veteran Black Friday observers noted. But beneath the generally well-behaved mob was the typical intensity of the big-markdown hunter.

There was 24-year-old Barry Coleman of Newark, who bravely resisted fiancee Tiffany Ferguson’s “suggestion” that they camp out at Target starting at 4 p.m. Thanksgiving Day. “We fought about it for three hours before we came over here,” he said. “But she won.”

Some Black Friday standards are shifting, and most shoppers interviewed already had been deal-hunting for days, if not weeks, as retailers sought to out-start one another. Other traditions endured.

“People will yell at you like crazy” should you come between them and the object of their desires, said Courtney Kitts, 16, of Cecil County. “They push you and say, ‘Get out of the way. It’s mine!’ “

Of course, not all retail hubs were hopping — in Newark, the sleepy shadows of Main Street were lit only by the glow of the Post House diner.

And not all dreams were fulfilled — even a 1 a.m. arrival was not soon enough to snag some limited-quantity deals, and not even a pre-dawn mission could guarantee that girlfriends Angela Griffin and Kristie Logan would get the 40-inch wide-screen TV they sought at Target.

So they got a 46-inch instead, with the help of an additional $146.

It was still a deal, they said.

Shopping for themselves

So, was it time to call it a day, head back to new Jersey, get a nap?

No — still time to catch that $19.99 pots-and-pans special at J.C. Penney.

Such commitment is an encouraging sign for retailers and for the economy, as more shoppers appeared to be buying for themselves than last year, when such indulgences were limited.

During the disastrous 2008 Christmas, shell-shocked shoppers stuck to buying gifts for others.

Marshal Cohen, chief analyst for market research firm NPD, who had a team of consultants monitoring 11 regions in the country, estimated that 15 percent of purchases so far on Friday were items for themselves. that was up from about 9 percent last year on the same day. on Black Friday 2008, he estimated it dropped to about 5 percent. in good economic times, such purchases run about 26 percent, Cohen said.

Even the mildly bad weather could not put a damper on sales. Light rain was falling in Delaware for most of Friday morning, although temperatures were warm enough to make that bearable.

The fierce battle for shoppers’ wallets promises savings for those willing and able to buy amid an economy that is still worrying many. Many analysts think bargains will become more plentiful as the shopping season progresses.

The good news is that retailers are heading into the season with some momentum after a solid start. Shoppers who can afford it are buying more nonessentials like jewelry and luxury goods. that is helping to lift their spirits about the holiday season, which is expected to generate revenue gains modestly higher than a year ago.

Thanksgiving weekend is huge for retailers. in recent years, Black Friday — the day retailers are said to get into the black for the year — has been the busiest shopping day of the year, according to data from research firm ShopperTrak. But it does not necessarily provide a complete forecast of holiday sales. in fact, shoppers seem to be procrastinating more every year, so the fate of the holiday season is increasingly down to the last few days before Christmas.

Retailers study buying patterns for the weekend to discern shoppers’ mind-set. this year, that means taking the measure on their willingness to spend just a little bit more.

Last year, the Thanksgiving shopping weekend accounted for 12.3 percent of overall holiday revenue, according to ShopperTrak. Black Friday made up about half of that.

Staff reporter Phillip Lucas contributed to this article, which contains material from the Associated Press.Contact Eric Ruth at 324-2428 or eruth@delawareonline.com.Contact Dan Shortridge at 463-3338 or dshortridge@delawareonline.com.

Shoppers get early start on Black Friday specials

Related Websites

• Zooped.com – From The Video Vault: Barbie Video Girl
• Save Money during the Recession (but still have a nice home). Interior Decorating Tips on a Budget | Home Ideas
• Black Friday Shoppers Stampede A Target Store!! | Star Talk
• Boscov’s Keeps Stores Closed On Thanksgiving – WFMZ Allentown
• Holiday Deals Continue Through Cyber Monday at Amazon » Amazoncom, Amazon, Shipping, Kindle, FREE, Cyber » Web Security
• Old Navy | Black Friday Deals | Online Deals
• Black Friday Shoppers Stampede A Target Store!! – PerezHilton.com | Retail Blog Biz
• Walmart Cyber Monday Deals To Be Had : Online Social Media
• Is the Recession Over, or is Extend and Pretend More Pervasive? « naked capitalism
• Holiday Shopping Spotlight: Photojojo