Holiday shoppers brave cold, crowds to welcome 'Black Friday

[Wnghs2007]

LINKIE

The predawn melee for the day after Thanksgiving began at 10 p.m. the night before for some shoppers.

Phuong Nguyen of Atlanta had no transportation. So, after eating her Thanksgiving dinner, friends dropped her off in front of the Best Buy at Northlake, where she was the first person in line.


Her goal Friday morning: the $500 Toshiba laptop and the $150 Kodak digital camera.

''I'm a little bit crazy,'' she said. ''I've never done this before.''

The day after Thanksgiving marks the traditional start of the holiday season, where retailers expect to ring up their most sales all year long.

Nguyen, a native of Vietnam, was almost running by the time 6 o'clock rolled around and Best Buy allowed its customers -- about 250 people by this time -- into the store.

"I'm a little tired, but I wanted to do anything I could to have that laptop."

Another shopper, Josenie Jacsaint, started waiting in line at 5:10 a.m. with her friends. But she was allowed to wait in front because she was holding her friend's baby.

"To wake up at 2, it's not worth it,'' she said. ''But I'm prepared to wait in a long line."

She next planned to go to Rich's-Macy's.

Employees at the Best Buy were shouting through bullhorns and allowing shoppers to go into the store 50 at a time, only to stand in line a second time once inside before buying several of the choicest sale items, such as big screen TVs and the prized laptop.

Areas were roped off, both inside the store and out. Shoppers sported warm jackets, gloves, mittens and hats as they waited in the cold morning under the nearly full, descending moon.

The "Shrek 2'' DVD was among retailers' hottest sale items. Others included an $18 DVD player at Circuit City, the $1 mini-grip cordless screwdriver at Ace Hardware and the $4 DVDs at Wal-Mart (''Bladerunner'' was one title). Wal-Mart's Care Bears, at two for $5, also were must-have items.

There was a traffic jam getting into the parking lot at BrandsMart USA near the Doraville GM plant, and about 500 people were standing in line for the store to open at 7 a.m. When the doors finally opened, there was a human stampede.

Some shoppers cut in line. Several got into arguments, yelling at each other and at security guards who couldn't control the crowd.

Jennifer Foster of Union City was the first customer in line at 3:45 a.m., but not the first in the door.

Shopping with her two sisters and a friend, Foster had her eye on a $5 toaster, a can opener and some CDs -- and planned to spend no more than $100.

One sister, Carmen Foster, wasn't planning to buy anything.

"It's worth it to brave the cold,'' said Jennifer Foster. ''This is an annual tradition for all three sisters."

It was the first of many stops for the brave shoppers, who beat the next customer in line by 15 minutes. Wal- Mart was their next stop.

Around the metro area, shoppers by the hundreds lined up in subfreezing temperatures to take advantage of early bird specials being offered by retailers.

At the Circuit City on Barrett Parkway in Kennesaw, the line stretched from the front doors all the way across the front of the store at 5:15 a.m. -- some 45 minutes before those doors were scheduled to open.

Similar lines had formed at other big box retailers along and just off Barrett Parkway, including The Sports Authority. Traffic on Barrett Parkway approaching Town Center Mall was beginning to build at 5:30 a.m.

When the doors opened at Fry's Electronics in Duluth at 5:45 a.m., 15 minutes earlier than scheduled, there were about 800 people waiting, wrapping their long line around the mammoth store.

''Are you guys ready?'' yelled assistant store manager Scott Shapiro to the crowd. ''Remember to be calm, cool and collected.''

As soon as the doors opened, people ran in with their carts, the shopping buggies rattling over the store's metal threshold.
Shapiro stood at the door, making sure no one cut the line, and instructed all later arrivals to wait until everyone in line had entered.

While in line, some shoppers were treated to coffee and doughnuts handed out by store employees.

Joe Wright of Cartersville was the first person to enter the store, having been in line since 11 p.m. Thursday.

He spent the night outside, wrapped in a sleeping bag and sitting in a folding chair.

''My wife thinks I'm crazy, but it's worth it. Look at all these sales.

''Electronics are so expensive that when you can save a couple hundred dollars, it's worth it to take drastic measures.''

Wright had his eye on a cheap DVD burner and a DVD camcorder.

''This is all for me,'' he said. ''After that, it'll be for my wife and kids.

''But this is my time.''
When he was finished at Fry's, he had a ''honey-do'' list, outlining all the purchases at other stores that his wife, Jennifer, said he had to make.

He had been instructed to go to Goody's to buy a picture frame with baseball paraphernalia for his 8-year-old son Josh and a wrestling ring for action figures at Toys 'R' Us. Then he had to go to Belk, where the list included buying a hurricane candlestick holder.

''I have no idea what the heck that is, so I'll be calling my wife, and I'm sure by then she'll add to my honey-do list.''

Morning shoppers across the metro area were bundled up against temperatures that hovered around 30 degrees. At 6 a.m., temperatures ranged from 27 degrees in Newnan, to 29 in Cartersville. The thermometer read 30 degrees in Chamblee and 34 at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Skies were clear and should stay that way throughout the big shopping day, the National Weather Service said.

Afternoon highs should climb into the mid-50s before falling into the mid-30s tonight.