Subscribe
Community
Recession can't slow determined shoppers
Hundreds wait in line for Black Friday retail bargains
Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by EMILY BARNES
Shoppers fill St. Charles Towne Center in Waldorf on Friday.
|
E-Mail This Article
Armed with blankets, umbrellas and the occasional tent, shoppers were lined up outside stores as early as Thanksgiving morning to get good deals on Black Friday, the opening shot in the holiday retail season.
In order to be the first to get the season's hottest deals including robotic hamsters, iPods and laptop computers, shoppers were willing to stand in line for several hours.
Some braved the lines not looking for anything in particular, just for the thrill of being involved in a big moment.
Heather Huff of Mechanicsville stood outside the Toys "R" Us in Waldorf hoping to purchase the popular and inexpensive Zhu Zhu Pets, robotic hamsters that sell for less than $10 each. According to business reports, the small toy is a fast-selling item, and according to those in line outside the store in Waldorf, for many of the shoppers it was a must-have.
The first 100 customers in line who were interested in the toy hamsters were given tickets assuring them one of the cuddly fad items.
Two Charles County residents were first in line and ready to fill their carts with what they hoped to be great deals on toys for their children this Christmas.
"I love my kid," Samantha Meekins of Waldorf said of why she arrived at Toys "R" Us before 5 p.m. Thursday knowing the store didn't open until midnight.
Meekins was in line for many things, but one thing in particular was a doll house, originally $200 and marked down to $60 on Black Friday.
Meekins and friend Angela Miller of Waldorf have been Black Friday bargain shopping for the past five years. From Toys "R" Us, they were headed to Target and to ensure a good spot in line, they brought family and friend reinforcements to head over to the Waldorf Target and get in line.
"The husbands carry stuff," Miller said of why she brought her husband along for the Black Friday mission.
At 10 minutes before midnight the Toys "R" Us parking lot was packed with cars and a line of eager customers wrapped around the store.
At the nearby Target, two cars sat in front of the store first in line for the 5 a.m. opening and holding places for Meekins and Miller.
Rain or shine, Huff has been in line at various stores for Black Friday shopping for the past 13 years.
Sometimes, Huff acknowledged, she didn't have anything in mind to purchase and often went home empty-handed.
For her, it's the joy of being part of the experience and meeting new people.
"Last year I went to Walmart for nothing ... I just have to go and see what's going on," she said.
Along for the ride this year was Huff's sister-in-law and Huff's daughter, Rebecca, a freshman at Chopticon High School in St. Mary's County.
"My mom is insane. I don't think I could do it," she said of standing in line year after year.
Huff has gotten to know many people over the years in line at various stores. If she hasn't met particular people, she has heard of them. Many people in line at Toys "R" Us have heard of Nick Rubio of California.
Rubio has been the first in line at various stores for several years.
Lately it has been the Best Buy in Waldorf, where he arrived at 5 a.m. Thanksgiving morning. His list included multiple computer-related items and other electronics.
Rubio, sitting in a single-person tent, said, depending on the crowd, he spends up to an hour collecting all of his wish-list items once the store opens.
For him, waiting an entire day for a store to open on Black Friday is just something he enjoys doing and the deals he receives justify his wait.
Second in line at Best Buy was a group of family members from all three Southern Maryland counties and some from out of state.
Inside a screened tent with a kerosene heater, Kathy DePhillip of Indian Head, Michael McQueeney of Mechanicsville and Amber Drake of Lusby were waiting for the discounted laptops.
For the past 20 years, this family of bargain hunters has spent Thanksgiving evenings outside storefronts waiting for the doors to open.
This year, DePhillip said they got to Best Buy around 9 a.m. Thanksgiving Day.
McQueeney said Thanksgiving dinner was delivered by another family member and the family of line-waiters ate turkey and all the trimmings.
DePhillip said more family members were waiting in the van, as she pointed to the parking lot.
"It was fun until it rained," Drake said, sitting under the tent by the heater just after midnight Friday morning.
Shoppers at Best Buy were lined up half way around the store by midnight and the line grew longer as the morning went on.
