Black Friday in the Valley

Shoppers lined up as early as Thanksgiving morning to get the best bargains available.

Published online on Friday, Nov. 28, 2008

Despite the worst predicted holiday shopping season in years, consumers still lined up in the dark and swarmed post-Thanksgiving store openings in the central San Joaquin Valley.

Black Friday shopping madness started at 10 p.m. Thursday and continued as stores and malls opened in the wee hours Friday.

A National Retail Federation survey predicts that as many as 128 million people will shop this three-day weekend, down from 135 million last year. The organization forecast bigger-than-ever discounts.

Preliminary reports from major retailers including Macy's, KB Toys Inc., Best Buy Co. and Toys 'R' Us and mall operators such as Taubman Centers Inc. (which runs 25 malls nationally) said the crowds were at least as large as last year's. But analysts said sales Friday may not match the year-ago levels as Americans, worried about layoffs, dwindling retirement accounts and tightening credit slash their holiday budgets, even for their children.

The day is not considered a prediction of how retailers will fare for the rest of the holiday shopping season, however.

"There have been years when we've seen a very solid Black Friday and kind of stumbled through the rest of the holiday season, like last year," retail federation spokesman Scott Krugman said.

The National Retail Federation will release its Black Friday weekend report Sunday.

At Fashion Fair mall, senior manager Mo Bagunu said foot traffic was strong all day.

"I always know things are busy when people are parking out by our building," said Bagunu, whose office is in the southeast corner of the Fresno mall's property. "I think our numbers are equal or above last year. And the mall is still very busy."

Valley shoppers start early

3:45 a.m.: The line outside J.C. Penney at Fashion Fair is hundreds of people long. It's dark out, and the first people waiting in line for the 4 a.m. opening have been there since midnight.

The group of friends is fueled by Red Bull energy drinks, and many of them stare at the store's employees on the opposite side of the glass doors.

"Remember that Mervyns commercial where the lady goes to the door and says, 'Open, open, open'? That's us," says Mimi George of Fresno.

4 a.m.: Doors open. People flood in and get their first crack at "doorbuster" deals.

Steep discounts are a sign of the times, and J.C. Penney is selling $70 leather jackets and $18.88 kids digital cameras, prices that expire at 1 p.m.

4:05 a.m.: About half the 50 people waiting in line at the Disney Store are inside before the doors fully open.

Victoria Villanueba and Raymond Juarez of Fresno have a game plan to get gifts for their 3-year-old daughter. He takes two steps to the left and grabs a baby princess doll for $9.99, marked down from $19.50. Next, he grabs a princess cash register -- the one thing his little girl asked for. Villanueba heads to the right and snaps up a Christmas wreath in the shape of Mickey Mouse's head and ears.

"You got to work as a team," Juarez says. "Get it and go. That's my motto."

The couple is in line at the cashier by 4:13 a.m.

4:40 a.m.: More than 20 people stand in line at the Fashion Fair Starbucks kiosk, which opened at 3:30 a.m.

4:58 a.m.: Macy's opens its gates inside the mall and a crowd pours in. An employee hands out a directory of sales, along with free cranberry juice and dried cranberries.

Elsie Taylor of Fresno says she's always up this early and came to Macy's with a 40% off coupon looking for a cashmere sweater.

"It gave me something to do," she says.