Black Friday brings out bargain hunters

By Cydney Cappello, Amanda Finnegan, Jeff Pope

Published Friday, Nov. 28, 2008 | 9:15 a.m.

Updated Friday, Nov. 28, 2008 | 6:46 p.m.

Neither rain, nor fog, nor gloom of night could keep die-hard deal hunters away from shopping early this Black Friday.

Across the Las Vegas Valley, despite the chilly weather, shoppers lined up during the wee hours Friday morning in hopes of finding hot sales for the official start of the holiday shopping season.

On a midnight mission

Among the first to open its doors was Toys “R” Us, 1425 W. Sunset Road in Henderson, at midnight.

Perched at the glass doors since 4 p.m. Thursday was veteran Black Friday shopper Paul Davidson of Las Vegas and his 2-year-old son, Paul Jr.

After standing at the end of the line last year, Davidson wised up this year and decided to be first in line, he said. He was on a mission to complete his shopping for his four grandchildren and son. The goal for Paul Jr. was a bike.

“I’m mainly shopping for the bargains. I’m always looking for a sale,” Davidson said. “Every year, my wife takes money out of our 401K and we do our shopping.”

Davidson said the poor economy this year has made the sales that much more important.

“This year I’m trying to get more bargains. I need them because it is pinching every last penny, especially when you are on a fixed income like me and my wife,” he said.

Not far behind the Davidsons were Mark and Amanda Shockley, who were shopping for a new member of the family.

“I adopted my daughter last January and this is my first Christmas with her and I’m making it count,” Mark Shockley said.

Nintendo DS games, Polly Pockets and all things High School Musical and Hannah Montana topped the list for their 6-year-old daughter, Morgan Jo.

“I’m seeing the world through a whole new set of eyes this year,” Mark Shockley said.

The couple came with a game plan for the night: “He’s hitting the electronics first and I’m pretty much swiping all the Barbies in the cart,” Amanda Shockley said.

At midnight, and not a minute later, Toys “R” Us employees opened their sliding-glass doors and let the shoppers in. Less than 15 minutes later, there wasn’t a cart to be found for latecomers. Most headed to the electronics, filling their carts with Rock Band 2, Wii Fits and Guitar Hero World Tour. Others scanned the aisles, sweeping up everything from Elmos to Barbies.

Brooke Newton of Las Vegas finished her holiday shopping for her 3-year-old daughter in less than 45 minutes. She filled her cart with toy food, dress up accessories and a mix of dolls and dump trucks.

“She is a tomboy and a girly girl all rolled into one,” Newton said.

But like most 3-year-old girls, one thing topped her daughter’s list.

“When we see Santa, all we are asking for are baby dolls,” Newton said of her daughter.

Less money to go around

Early estimates in the valley suggest that the number of shoppers remained consistent with previous years but shoppers planned to spend less this year because of the credit crunch, layoffs and the lackluster economy.

The day after Thanksgiving, known as Black Friday is so called because it historically was the day when a surge of shoppers helped stores break into profitability for the full year.

Consumers seemed to be attracted to doorbuster sales based on early reports, said Kathy Grannis, spokeswoman for the National Retail Federation, the industry's largest retail group. While the day isn't a predictor of holiday sales, it is a barometer of people's willingness to spend.

"The excitement of Black Friday will never change regardless of what's going on out there," she said. "The notion that consumers plan on cutting back on their spending is what's changed this year. While consumers may not spend as much or buy as many gifts, there are still a lot of people who still need to buy gifts."

Lines wrapped around to the back of the Target at Eastern Avenue and Silverado Ranch Boulevard, store manager Mike Sacca said. The majority of early sales were toys and electronics.

"I haven't been here in previous years but in terms of business, it was lots of energy, lots of foot traffic, very comparable," he said. "It's been a good start for the day."

Daron Henry, manager of Sears at Grand Canyon Parkway in Summerlin, said the day started as well as past years but he couldn't predict how busy the store would be after that.

"This is the first year where I really don't know," he said. "It's Christmas time and they're still going to shop."

Appliances, televisions and other electronics would be the biggest sellers of the season, Henry said.

Sears started offering layaway two weeks ago to help customers pay for the big-ticket electronics without maxing out their credit, Henry said.

"We haven't carried layaway for several years. With the economic times, it's just a way for them to buy the gifts and make payments," he said.

At another Target store, 605 N. Stephanie St., the crowd consisted mostly of women when the doors opened at 6 a.m.

Moms, grandmothers, aunts and sisters grabbed their carts with Target maps in hand and raced to the electronics department in hopes of getting their hands on advertised flat screen TVs, digital cameras and GPS units -- many grabbing $5 DVDs on the way there.

Others headed to the toy aisles, filling their carts with Cabbage Patch dolls and board games.

Sandy Kovachich of Henderson, a frequent Black Friday shopper, piled her cart high with video games, a gaming chair, cameras and even a few vacuums.

“This year was much easier and much faster,” she said. “It’s just fun. Everyone’s here and you always get the best deals.”

Kovachich said although she wasn’t feeling a big hit from the poor economy this season, she knows others are.

“A lot of people don’t have money and don’t have jobs. These gifts are for kids of friends who can’t afford it this holiday,” she said. “So I’m buying for them because Christmas is really about the kids.”

All-day wait for electronics

At Best Buy in Henderson, 611 Marks St., an excited and electronics-hungry crowd waited for the clock to hit 5 a.m. The store brought out its biggest guys to stand guard so no one cut in line as the doors opened.

First in line was 18-year-old Tim Wheeler of Boulder City, who might have taken the record for the longest wait in line.

“I’ve been here since 10:15 a.m. Wednesday morning,” he said. “And your response will probably be ‘He is crazy’ and you’re right.”

Wheeler, who was 20th in line last year, came with a tent, an entourage and a game plan.

“He just came to buy batteries,” friends joked behind Wheeler.

Wheeler admitted it was more about being first than it was about the merchandise inside.

“I didn’t even know what I was getting at the time,” Wheeler said.

In the end, Wheeler and his parents bought a PlayStation 3, three digital cameras, three laptops computers, a desktop computer, a printer and several DVDs.

By 5:30 a.m., all that was left of the line that was once wrapped around the store were scattered Red Bull cans, Starbucks cups and happy shoppers exiting the store.

Shopping at the malls

First-time Black Friday shopper Gary Delacruz of Las Vegas said he was surprised to find out how much he could save by braving the crowds.

“Black Friday, I hear so much that it is cheaper and I’m finding out that it is cheaper … I’m buying everything that I can today or whatever my wallet can handle,” he said while shopping at Las Vegas Premium Outlets, 875 S. Grand Central Parkway.

Jim McMichael, senior marketing manager of General Growth Properties, which manages several Las Vegas malls, including Fashion Show and The Boulevard, said area malls didn't know what to expect because of the economy.

“We weren’t real certain on what traffic would be like today, but obviously we’ve been pleasantly surprised,” he said.

“There’s that traditional Black Friday shopper who knows what they’re going out for, they know that they’re going to get the deals that they want on the items that they want and they’re getting the best selection,” McMichael said.

Las Vegas resident Rosario Martinez said she was going after clothes while shopping at the Boulevard Mall because electronics seemed to be too expensive this year.

“Last year, I went through and looked at the prices of different things and I was actually going more for electronics and stuff like that but this year, money’s a little tighter,” Las Vegas resident Rosario Martinez said as she shopped in the Boulevard Mall.

Martinez said she specifically visited the mall for deals on clothes because she had remembered a deal Old Navy was having on sweaters. She carried several bags around from the retailer as she searched for other bargains Friday.

Another couple shopping in the Boulevard Mall said the economy forced them to downsize their shopping.

“We actually don’t have a strategy; we’ve had more money all the other years except for this year, so we’ve bought more for our kids instead of like video games or TVs … nothing electronic, more toys than anything,” Las Vegas resident Eric Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said he did a lot of his shopping at Target and tried to go to Wal-Mart, but it was too packed.

At Las Vegas Premium Outlets, overflow parking was across the street at the Clark County Government Center, but the traffic didn't seem to deter shoppers.

“We didn’t know about this whole Black Friday thing until this morning because our Thanksgiving is in October and our big shopping day of the year is Boxing Day, which is the day after Christmas,” Nicole Orr of Alberta, Canada said. “We asked which outlet was the best to go to and the people at the concierge were looking at us like we were crazy. They were like, ‘You’re going shopping today?’ So, now we know.”

Other Canadian visitors have been coming to Las Vegas to shop for the last two Black Fridays.

“We’ve been shopping since midnight. We took the shuttle to Primm at midnight … we’ve been here since about 6 this morning,” said Debra Ginther of Saskatchewan, Canada. Ginther said the deals were better for her last year because the Canadian dollar was worth more. Ginther and three of her friends made a girls trip to Vegas and left with no less than 10 stuffed bags from different shops -- and that doesn't include previous shopping trips during their Nevada visit.

Old habits meet sour economy

Some shoppers have altered their spending habits this year.

Summerlin resident Ashley Thomas, 21, bought a video game system for her boyfriend. Target offered a $60 gift card with the $300 system, which enticed Thomas to stand in line for three hours before the store opened.

She said she would spend less on gifts this year so she planned her day on where the best offers were.

"It helps when you go early and there's sales," she said. "Get more bang for the buck."

Summerlin resident Jennifer Honeycutt said her family was cutting back on gifts for the first time since the recession in the early 1990s.

"We drew names instead of buying for everybody," she said.

Anthem residents Wally and Mary O'Reilly said they expected to spend between $2,000 and $3,000 on gifts, which is about the same as last year. But that's because their grandchildren's wish lists have pricier items. The couple said they were planning to spend the same, but to buy fewer items.

"As the kids become teenagers, the things they want get more expensive," Mary O'Reilly said. "It's less toys and more video games and clothes."

Shoppers had different reasons for braving the cold, dark morning. Most looked to save money on limited-time deals but for others, like Frances Bloomquist, Black Friday is a tradition started 35 years ago during the Cabbage Patch Kids frenzy.

For the past seven years, Bloomquist has been joined by her daughter, 32-year-old Brianna Robison. They hit a few early-hours openings followed by breakfast at IHOP.

"It's friendlier this year," said Robison, a resident of The Lakes. "Last year, I was talking with a woman in line and asked her what she was shopping for. She said, 'I'm not telling you. You'll probably try and take it.' It hasn't been that way this year."

Gretchen Mahoygan, of Seven Hills, started the tradition with her 14-year-old daughter, Allison, this year.

"We have little shopping trips every now and then. We thought we'd try this one because it's kind of a big day," Gretchen said.

Alan McIntyre, 23, and Logan Kats-Gray, 20, rose early for the their first Black Friday event. The west valley couple arrived about 20 minutes before Sears opened at 5 a.m. and were among many trying to buy a Sharp 46-inch television that was marked down $500 to $899.99. They would have to wait another week to pick it up.

"We were trying to get a TV right off the floor but they didn't have any. We had to get in line just to get it ordered," McIntyre said.

Ashley Hirschi, 14, and her father, Kevin Garner, were in line at JC Penney at Grand Canyon Parkway in Summerlin at 3 a.m. to buy Christmas presents. It was the first day of about four weeks of holiday excitement, she said.

"It gets me all excited for the holidays, Hirschi said.