This year, the wait wasn't so long for shoppers

Nov 29, 2008 (The Olympian - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- BBY | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- Hundreds of South Sound shoppers in search of bargains lined up at stores throughout Thurston County early Friday morning, although many said lines were shorter this year than in past years, which they attributed to the slower economy.

"Way shorter," said Justin Stratton of Olympia about the line of people at the Westfield Capital mall Best Buy store.

For the third consecutive year, Stratton waited in line overnight at Best Buy, starting his vigil at 9 p.m. Thursday for a 5 a.m. Friday store opening. High on his purchase wish list were video games for his Xbox 360 video-game console and car stereo equipment.

The day after Thanksgiving has come to be known as Black Friday, a day when retailers begin to show a full-year profit (putting them "in the black") because of a surge of shoppers hunting for discounts, making it one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Hot items for South Sound shoppers on Friday included computers, video games, toys, TVs, cameras, DVDs and DVD players.

Shoppers' strategies

Stratton was not the first in line at Best Buy. That honor fell to Jeremy Maurin of Tumwater, who said he showed up at the store at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Sitting in a folding chair and bundled up in a blanket, Maurin said he wanted to be first in line to buy a Hewlett-Packard desktop computer for $599, which he said was a savings of about $500 off the normal price.

By waiting in line, Maurin missed having a traditional Thanksgiving Day meal, but Black Friday shoppers Becky Gow and her son, Scott, of Tumwater saved his place in line Thursday so he could dine at the mall.

The Gows brought a tent, blankets, folding chairs and Thanksgiving leftovers for their overnight stay at Best Buy.

Becky Gow said she wanted her children to experience Black Friday.

Although his sister, Wendy, waited in the car, Scott said it was fun, but said he would wear another layer of clothes next time. Friday morning temperatures dropped to about 40 degrees with a light rain.

Adam Collins of Olympia and his nephew, Sean Estabrook of Hermiston, Ore., participated in their first Black Friday in Olympia, Collins said. Normally, he avoids shopping on the day after Thanksgiving because in Oregon, he once was "run down" by another shopper. Shoppers at Best Buy were peaceful and filed into the store in an orderly fashion after it opened.

Christine Stratton, who joined her son at Best Buy at 4 a.m. Friday, said she was shopping on Black Friday for the first time to save money in a slower economy.

Her Tumwater-based employer recently cut 13 jobs, and their daily work shifts were reduced in an effort to keep more people employed, she said.

"It has affected everybody," Stratton said of the economy.

At the Olympia Circuit City electronics store, store manager Roy Triana said customers lined up around the building before the store's 5 a.m. Friday opening. Circuit City Stores Inc. has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, but Triana said the Olympia store will remain open and continue to honor Circuit City gift cards.

Some retail experts, such as Jan Teague of the Washington Retail Association in Olympia, predict that more retailers could enter bankruptcy if the holiday shopping season is not strong enough. She expects year-over-year holiday sales to be flat in the state.

Lines at the Lacey Target store at South Sound Center stretched from the front entrance to Sears.

Target store team leader Juli Pridgeon said she was pleased with customer turnout. "We're poised for a good weekend," she said.

Still, many other shoppers voiced concerns about the economy Friday.

Because of a hiring freeze by state government, state worker Tonya Larson of Lacey planned to pay for her gifts in cash, while her sister, Teri Parsons of Lacey, planned to pay with credit cards.

Larson also thought lines were shorter at some stores because of people shopping online.

Christine Howell of Olympia said she took advantage of Friday's deals because she's concerned about her future as an employee with the state Department of Social and Health Services. Recent budget cuts announced by Gov. Chris Gregoire could affect a still-undetermined number of employees there, The Olympian reported this week.

Amy Irwin said she took care of 75 percent of her holiday shopping Friday. After a 4:57 a.m. start at Fred Meyer in Lacey, she went to Kohl's, then Target. She then planned to go home, sleep and eat leftover turkey. "It's a holiday tradition," Irwin said.

Rolf Boone covers business for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5403 or rboone@theolympian.com.

To see more of The Olympian, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.theolympian.com. Copyright (c) 2008, The Olympian, Olympia, Wash. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

More News:   Market Updates | Stock Alerts | All Trading News | Stock Index