Shop till you drop
Residents turn out for sales despite economyBy BRETT DUNLAP, bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com
Article Photos
VIENNA - Shoppers were afield early this Black Friday morning hunting deals and special sales, getting their Christmas shopping done early and having fun.
The Friday after Thanksgiving is the traditional start of the Christmas shopping season, the day when when retailers begin making a profit, from the red to the black, hence Black Friday.
Cars filled the parking lots at the Grand Central Mall, Circuit City, Toys-R-Us and other shopping venues. Many shoppers were in line since the wee hours of the morning.
At 4:30 a.m. Friday, the line at Toys-R-Us stretched past Super China Buffet toward the mall's entry road. The line at Circuit City was past Pier 1 before its 5 a.m. opening.
"The economy is bad and that is why we are standing in line," said Marcy Jackson of Belpre, "We need the deals."
Jackson was in line at Toys-R-Us at 1 a.m. Friday.
Rebecca Civitillo of Washington, W.Va., said she got in line at the toy store at 3:30 a.m. for the thrill and excitement of the day, and hopefully to find deals for gifts she couldn't buy otherwise. She was looking for Razor scooters being advertised for $169 that normally sell for $224.
"I am here to get three," she said.
It was a family affair, too, although some family apparently had no choice.
"My wife dragged me out here," said Keith Murphy of Mineral Wells. "We got here (Toys-R-Us) at 3:30 a.m."
His wife, Rebecca, was focused on a specific gift.
"We are here to get the 'Guitar Hero 3' for the Wii (game console)," she said. "They have it marked down to around $50 where it is normally around $100."
Rebecca Murphy said other members of the family were at other stores looking for gifts, making sure to cover all their bases and get the best deals.
"That is how we do it, divide and conquer," she said.
Lexter Landingin of Marietta and his family were the first in line at Circuit City. They had been there since 2 a.m. to get a deal on a Toshiba 32AV500U HD LCD television for $449.99, which usually sells for more than $700.
Ashley Matheny and Jake Denison of south Parkersburg had been in line at the electronics store since 3 a.m. hoping to get a global positioning system and computer accessories.
"We thought there was going to be a longer line," Matheny said. "Last year, there was a big rush, but not this year."
Denison said the lines had usually built up early so they wanted to be prepared.
Matheny believed the economy was keeping residents away from the shopping rush because money is tight this year.
Dee Hammond of Mineral Wells was at Circuit City around 3:50 a.m. Friday morning. She was looking for music games for the Wii game system and CDs for her children who love country music.
"That is it," she said of her shopping goals.
Hammond says she's an experienced shopper when it comes to the early morning sales on Black Friday. It's exciting because these sales mark the beginning of the Christmas-time rush, she said.
"I enjoy it," she said. "I have done it for the last seven years. Every year it is different. I have seen it icy where you couldn't stand up on the parking lot, there have been times when it was raining, but this year it was actually nice."
Beth Starcher and Katie Starcher of Belleville shopped for electronics at Vienna Kmart. They had been in the field since 3:30 a.m.
"You got to get here some time," Katie said.
Jacob Glaspell and Ethan Odgen of Vienna and Justus Robinson of Parkersburg found themselves at Kmart. Odgen said they were looking for a drill, a razor and electric scissors.
"I came out to watch people and the pushing and shoving," Glaspell said of the rush when stores open their doors.
Ditto for Robinson.
"I came to watch the madness," Robinson said. "It is fun."
