Black Friday frenzy: A long night's journey into savings: Shoppers camp out to grab a bargain

Sat. November 29, 2008; Posted: 04:07 AM

Because the people who spend all night in a Best Buy parking lot to buy cheap computers and TVs call it that.

At 8:30 Thursday morning, when most people were putting a Thanksgiving turkey into the oven, Elaine Shropshire of Columbia pulled up to Best Buy on Two Notch Road and unloaded a recliner from her car.

Yes, a recliner.

And, yes, she questioned her sanity.

But a couple of hours later, a man showed up and unloaded a mattress and box springs from his truck.

"I felt a lot better," she said. "See, I'm normal."

By 10 p.m. Thursday, about 30 people were waiting in line in what is becoming as much of an American Thanksgiving tradition as Detroit Lions football. Retailers kick off the holiday season by offering deep discounts on select products for their Black Friday sales. These "door buster" specials are designed to generate excitement and draw customers who, hopefully, buy other, higher priced items while in the store.

However, veterans of the Best Buy line say this year's crowd was much smaller.

Most speculated the poor economy was keeping people at home. When you're broke, you can't afford even a $379 laptop.

Plus, "The sales aren't as good," Shropshire said.

Still, as the clock crept toward 5 a.m. when the doors would open, those in line expected dozens more to join them.

"It's still a long night to go," Shropshire said.

11 P.M.: TURNING 17 IN BEST BUY PARKING LOT

The folks waiting in line were shopping experts. By this time, they had memorized the advertising circulars in Thursday's newspaper. They knew the prices and the specs on laptops and TVs. They knew which stores have the best deals.

And they also knew the numbers of each product advertised are limited.

For example, if you wanted the $379 Toshiba laptop at Best Buy, the newspaper ad said each store would have a minimum of 15. It was wise to make sure there were not 15 people ahead of you in line who wanted the same thing.

And that's why Sashi Joseph, 34, left shortly after arriving at Best Buy.

"I counted everyone in line and they all want a laptop except one," Joseph said. "My chances are pretty slim."

Before he left, Margaret Ndubuisi, 35, suggested he try Office Depot. She had been studying ads since 9:30 a.m. Thursday when she arrived at Best Buy.

"They have a laptop for $349," she said. "It's HP. Without a printer."

Meanwhile, Demetria Bannister asked strangers in line if they wanted a slice of birthday cake.

Bannister turned 17 on Thursday and celebrated with 10 family members by arriving at Best Buy around 10:30 a.m. It was the family's fourth year to spend the night in line on Thanksgiving.

This year, they brought a television and video game system, which were plugged into an outlet outside the front door. They also had turkey and all the trimmings set up on a card table.

"This is my Christmas and my birthday," said Bannister, who wanted an iPod.

MIDNIGHT: 'WHAT'S DRIVING US? THE ECONOMY AND CAFFEINE'

Oleg Zigalensko just beat Aaron Tanner in chess.

"Twice," Tanner said.

Zigalensko, 26, of Charlotte, runs a chess club and travels to out-of-state tournaments.

"He's a little more experienced than me," said Tanner, of Sumter.

Tanner, 21, had agreed to keep a friend company in the line. He wandered upon Zigalensko, who was camped with his wife, Elina, and their friends Andre and Zhanna Doroschenko of Columbia.

The group came prepared at 3:20 p.m., with a cooler with turkey, mashed potatoes and other Thanksgiving dishes. They had chairs, a card table and laptops with an extension cord.

The Zigalenskos decided to join their friends in Columbia because they figured the lines would be shorter than those in Charlotte.

"Bigger city, bigger line," Elina Zigalensko said.

All four wanted laptops.

"What's driving us? The economy and caffeine," Andre Doroschenko said. "Deals like this are hard to come by."

The others were glad someone else was willing to play Oleg Zigalensko for awhile.

He not only had brought a chess set, but he also carried four books on chess, including a 1,103-page tome, "Chess: 5,334 Problems, Combinations, and Games."

"And I played him," Tanner laughed.

1 A.M.: CHURCH'S COMMUNITY SERVICE

The hot chocolate steamed from foam cups as people lined up to receive a free drink from members of North Point Community Church.

Soon, the scent of grilled hot dogs wafted through the frigid air.

This was the church's third year at Best Buy on Black Friday.

"We shopped the first year," said Jeff Johnson, 31, the associate pastor.

They bought five computers for the church.

That year, representatives from fast food restaurants had handed out coupons, and the idea to give out hot chocolate was born.

Last year, a man was selling grilled hot dogs for $1, but the police shut him down because he didn't have a permit. This year, the church brought a grill to cook free hot dogs.

"It's a starting point for the community service projects we're trying to do," Johnson said.

Harry and Karen Bailey and their 13-year-old twin sons, Dallas and Donnie, were part of the entourage preparing hot chocolate and hot dogs.

Harry Bailey, 44, and his sons had pushed a jumbo grill off their trailer, with extra burners and propane tanks, set up tables, unloaded boxes of water and cocoa mix. People from the line snapped pictures, amazed over the elaborate set up.

"We've been blessed," Harry Bailey said.

2 A.M.: LAYERS AND LAYERS OF CLOTHES

By now, it was 40 degrees and the big sale was three hours away.

The line was at least 100 deep.

The constant hum of chattering people made it sound like a cocktail party nearing its end.

A few people were on the ground, covered head to toe in blankets and sleeping bags. Some people read; others listened to music on headphones. A young man with a cigarette hanging from his mouth strummed a guitar.

Regina Shell, 44, of Columbia, who had arrived around 10 p.m. with her husband, Ned Shell, 44, wore five layers of clothes: T-shirt, long-sleeved shirt, fleece jacket, poncho, and a wrap. They, too, wanted a laptop.

"Cold weather is not my friend," she said. "Trust me, if my laptop were working, I wouldn't be here."

Farther down the line, Katherine Thompkins, 47, stood with her nephew Ishmael Raheem, 12. They arrived shortly after 2 a.m. to see if they could score laptops.

They did not bring chairs. Or books. Or snacks.

They figured Best Buy workers would hand out tickets for the more desirable items by 3 a.m.

"If they're out of what we want, we're going home," Thompkins said.

3 A.M.: 'YOU ARE NOT GETTING A TICKET AHEAD OF ME'

The employees arrived.

They trickled in wearing their blue Best Buy shirts and yellow jackets.

Best Buy's ad said tickets for the "doorbuster" items would be handed out up to two hours before the store opened. People began packing their gear. As the line crept forward in anticipation, someone in the back yelled, "Hey, they're moving."

But no one emerged from the store.

As people waited, a controversy erupted.

A woman with a walker appeared at the front of the line. She was wearing a thin house dress, a shawl and bedroom slippers without socks. Nearly bald, she did not wear a hat.

"I have a condition," she mumbled when someone asked what she was doing.

However, this was no time for sympathy. Those who had been in line for hours were skeptical.

"Ma'am, we've been in line since 10:30 this morning. You can stand here, but you are not getting a ticket ahead of me," said a woman who declined to give her name.

Jokes were made. People laughed.

The woman with the walker told them, "Laugh if you want. But pray you never have my condition."

Soon, Aubrey Port, the store's general manager emerged.

After hearing from the crowd, he informed the woman with the walker that she would not receive tickets ahead of anyone else.

She stayed. The crowd settled.

4 A.M.: SELLING DEALS ON EBAY

Austin Floyd, 28, of Columbia had waited more than five hours for the coveted pieces of paper being passed out.

Best Buy employees with tickets made their way down the line, and Floyd was in the right spot.

Each employee carried a folder of 8.5-inch by 11-inch sheets of paper with a particular sale listed on it. They walked down the line, announcing which item's ticket they had.

Port walked ahead of them, explaining the rules to everyone waiting in line.

"As soon as we run out of something, we'll let you know so you don't have to stand out here in the cold," Port announced.

Floyd didn't have to worry. He got a ticket for three different laptops and for one desktop.

He planned to keep one laptop to replace a model he bought at last year's sale. The rest, he was planning to auction on eBay.

While in line, Floyd checked the online auction site. He saw that others around the country were already posting sales for the doorbuster computers.

"People haven't even bought them from the store yet," Floyd said. "They must be at the front of the line and know that they are going to get them."

5 A.M.: "YEEEEAAAAAAHHHH!"

Weldon Thompson, 33, stood guard outside the door to control the crowd.

Thompson, one of 140 employees who worked Friday, was on his ninth holiday season at Best Buy.

"Every year, I say this is my last year," he said. "Then the holidays hit, and I tough it out."

Inside, a boisterous chant rolled through the store.

"270! Top notch!" the employees cheered as Port led them in a rallying cry. The store's number in the Best Buy chain is 270.

As the employees fanned out to their work stations, Port stuck his head out the door and shouted, "Y'all ready?"

"Yeeeeeeaaaaaaaahhhhhh!" screamed the crowd, and the doors opened.

Within a half hour, the checkout line snaked through the appliance section and was wrapping toward the back of the store. People chatted with each other and no one grew impatient.

After all, most had found what they were looking for.

Shropshire and Ndubuisi had laptops and a list of other stores to hit before sunrise.

Bannister bought herself a green iPod Nano.

The chess player and his friends got their laptops and were headed home to play on them.

Tanner and his friend from Sumter planned to stop at Starbucks after their successful shopping trip to Columbia.

The church pastor even got a laptop for his wife.

The Shells left shortly after getting their tickets and planned to return before 9 a.m., the deadline to buy a "doorbuster" before it was released to another shopper.

The aunt and nephew were smiling over their success.

And, a shorter-than-usual line didn't dampen Port's enthusiasm.

"The lines are looking good," he said.

Reach Phillips at (803) 771-8307.

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