Ready, Shop Having done homework, picky buyers flood stores to find seasonal bargains

Long lines at discount, electronics and toy stores offered an eye-of-the-beholder perspective on the local economy yesterday.

Tight budgets had most shoppers zeroed in on big discounts with GPS-like precision as tens of thousands braved pre-dawn cold for holiday season bargains in the Triad.

"We started researching the Black Friday ads online at the end of October, then double-checked when the ads came out in the Thanksgiving newspaper," said Rosemary Lynch of Winston-Salem, who waited six hours to be the first of more than 400 people in line when Target opened at 5 a.m.

Lynch was one of five family members chasing sales up and down Hanes Mall Boulevard, which included teenagers who waited four hours for the midnight deals to begin at Toys "R" Us. Topping their combined shopping lists were digital cameras, video games and a vacuum cleaner.

"We figure to spend probably $400 less than last year, so every dollar we can save counts," Lynch said.

Black Friday traditionally marks the day when many retailers begin turning a profit for the year, and their numbers shift from red ink to black. It recently has trailed the Saturday before Christmas as the busiest day of the shopping season.

A survey from the National Retail Federation projected that as many as 134 million consumers nationwide would shop between yesterday and Sunday, or about 6 million more than last year. Discounters and department stores were the top choice of nearly two-thirds of Black Friday shoppers.

However, more shoppers are not expected to lead to increased revenue, with the foundation predicting holiday sales dropping 1 percent to $438 billion, compared with last year.

A reluctance to part with disposable income was evident among shoppers at Hanes Mall and outlying shopping centers. Many early shoppers said they were carrying fewer shopping bags than usual.

Just as telling, some fliers guaranteeing the purchase of a big-ticket item, such as flat-screen televisions and computer laptops, went unclaimed at some electronic stores as their doors opened.

"It's definitely a consumers' marketplace," said Julie Eagle of Kernersville, who shopped first at Toys "R" Us before waiting in line again at Sears.

"My goal is to never pay full price during the holidays. You can get some really good bargains if you have the money, are willing to go where the best deals are today, and are willing to be patient on gifts that get discounted the closer retailers get to Christmas."

Josh Holdaway, the manager of the Kohl's store on Hanes Mall Boulevard, said that there were about 600 people in line when it opened at 4 a.m. Friday.

"That's a little bigger than last year, and with that size, you would think we're not having a problem with the economy," Holdaway said. "But people are being a little more frugal as they buy small electronics, toys and jewelry."

Even though local consumers said they are more confident about securely shopping on the Internet, going out early was the only option for many bargain hunters.

"Most of the best deals were not available online," said Kelly Caron of Kernersville. "Retailers are hoping you'll do a lot of impulse shopping once you're there, rather than just click on one item."

Caron was the first in line at HHGregg, getting there 6½ hours early, out of necessity as much as hunting a bargain.

"We've gone three weeks without a working washer and dryer," he said. "Knowing we had the need made shopping this early make even more sense."

Britt Beemer, the chairman of America's Research Group, said he expects more "hit-and-run shoppers" as mounting debt and job worries combine to sober consumer spending. He predicted that sales would be down nearly 3 percent compared with last year.

"They're not doing a lot of browsing, usually coming out of stores with just one item," he said.

"Job fears are at the highest level we have seen in 30 years of talking with consumers,'' Beemer said. "In fact, 37 percent of consumers say they have seen layoffs at work, 35 percent expect to see layoffs, and 44 percent do not feel secure in their jobs. Americans have no choice but to buy less today."

Those concerns are likely to lead to soft sales in December once the buzz of Black Friday goes away, he said.

rcraver@wsjournal.com
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