Black Friday: Early morning shoppers relish the occasion

By Michael Abramowitz


Friday, November 28, 2008

Under the cover of darkness, an army advanced on the Greenville shopping district Friday morning, wrapped in blankets, heads covered with fleece-lined hoods and shopping circulars in hand. Phrases including "Black Friday," "50 percent off" and "Dora" were murmured along the lines, punctuated by laughter and cold shivers.

The annual post-Thanksgiving shopping spree drew thousands of Greenville residents and travelers from as far as Goldsboro, Calico and even Philadelphia, Pa., to area stores for the season's first true savings event.

The atmosphere was festive at every location, strangers sharing their shopping lists and telling stories of how they coaxed one another into participating in the madness of Black Friday.

By 4 a.m., the main roads leading to the prime shopping areas looked like they normally do at 4 p.m.

There were no traffic incidents to snarl progress, though, and most parking lots were near capacity by 5 a.m.

Tina McGee came from Washington to be first in line at Toys R' Us at 11 p.m. Thursday.

"This is my yearly thing. I was in the Best Buy line last year. I came at 9 a.m. and it was around the building, so I figured I'd come early this year. I don't have a list, but I'll wander around looking for deals," McGee said.

McGee was alone in line until Carl Norman showed up from Goldsboro at 3 a.m., she said.

"I have a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old who expect certain things, like Dora the Explorer. I have this Friday off so I didn't want to miss my opportunity. I have all the items marked on my circular and I know exactly where to go," Norman said.

He confessed a little guilt mixed with his early-bird pride, but blamed it on the economy.

"It's a shame how easily the merchants can entice people here. They certainly enticed me," Norman said.

"The economy is a significant factor this year. When you see something your kids want for Christmas at 50 percent off, that's a driving force to get these door-buster deals."

Black Friday has come to represent tradition for many shoppers, who consider themselves seasoned gift-grabbing veterans. At Toys R' Us, James Call, of Greenville was in familiar 4 a.m. surroundings. So was his wife, sitting in their car, keeping him company on the phone.

"This has always been our yearly pilgrimage. We get here about three in the morning and make sure we're lined up. My wife thinks ahead. She's smarter than me," Call added.

Call projected significant Black Friday savings.

"They make it easy to use the money you save to get extra additions to the things you buy, which they also put on sale," Call said.

For many shoppers, the gala atmosphere of the event is as important as the savings they find.

Zelma Keyes and girlfriend Resha Parker, both from Greenville, were out at 4 a.m., dressed for the cold and looking at 100 people in front of them.

"It didn't surprise me to see so many people already here," Keyes said. "I'm excited to see the crowd, I'm an early bird anyway. I'm having fun."

Parker said the key to a successful day in current economic conditions is planning.

"I had a Christmas savings account. It sure takes a lot of the pressure off. I feel real proud of myself for doing that," she said.

Keyes said she used the Internet to find the best deals.

"This is Greenville. I expected it to be crazy out here. But that's why we do this every year," she said.

Over at Circuit City, store manager Scott Smith gave the other side of the story, but said that stores must also plan ahead to be successful on Black Friday.

"We spent the whole week getting the staff ready, and put lots of extra merchandise on the floor," Smith said. "We tape our floors with lines and arrows to direct customers to the merchandise, and we have people ready to direct customers throughout the store."

A day like this requires special staff motivation, Smith said.

"We had a lot of turkey yesterday, for stamina, and a lot of Red Bull energy drink to get them fired up this morning."

Smith said Circuit City has two keys to a successful holiday season.