Early birds queue up for best bottom line

Thousands of red-eyed shoppers braved darkness and bitter winds to stand outside stores for the traditional post-Thanksgiving bargain fest.

Julie Ottmar arrived at Northpointe Plaza Target at 3:30 a.m. on Friday in hopes of getting a shot at purchasing video games, DVDs and electronics when the doors opened at 6 a.m.

The 43-year-old Colbert resident, who was shopping with her daughter Sarah Ottmar, 14, sister-in-law Brenda Buckley, 33, and friend Patty Elder, 35, said waking up in the wee hours wasn’t tough but added, “It will be hard to stay up later.”

The women were among an estimated 62.7 million Americans expected to go shopping on Friday, according to Consumer Reports. The day is often called “Black Friday,” referring to retailers going into the black, or making a profit.

This year, stores advertised an alluring mix of deals on MP3 players, toys, kitchenware and video games, in hopes of capturing some of the $457 billion expected to be spent this holiday season.

Some stores offered deep discounts on big-ticket items, including ShopKo and Office Depot, which took $500 and more off of large plasma and LCD televisions.

At Northpointe, customers lined up for 6 a.m. openings at Target and Staples, while others finished shopping at ShopKo and Best Buy, which opened at 5 a.m.

Target employees handed out cookies and coffee to hundreds of customers who planned to take advantage of advertised specials that included Kodak digital cameras for $98 and popular DVD movies for $3.98.

“They’ve been very patient. They’ve been in a great mood,” said Seth Campbell,executive team leader at Target.

Campbell said a majority of the early morning shoppers are looking for electronics and toys.

Jose Cervantes, 40, was among a horde of people dashing for electronics when the doors opened.

“This is a madhouse,” Cervantes said, as he navigated his cart through the crowd. Within a few minutes, the Spokane father of two had accomplished his mission, securing three portable DVD players, a 19” LCD television and two V Audio Rockers, a type of seat tailored for video gamers.

Cervantes estimated that he shaved $300 to $400 off his family’s gift expenses, adding, “I come every year because we save a lot of money.”

For six Whitworth College students, waiting in the cold was a new — albeit somewhat random — occurrence. “We didn’t get to sleep until 12:30 or 1 this morning,” said Keith Bisaillon, 19.

He and his friends, David Kuraya, 18, Christina Lautensack,18, Rebecca Miller, 18, Josh Yamaguchi, 18, and Conor McLaughlin, 18, were among the youngest people in line. They lacked shopping lists, and didn’t have much of a plan, but wanted to check out DVDs and electronics.

“We’re just going to walk in and hopefully be inspired by something,” Lautensack said.

While big stores focused on door-buster specials, other retailers anticipated a more subdued weekend.

Dan Taylor, manager of Walker’s Furniture in Spokane Valley, wasn’t expecting a rush Friday, but said an increasing number of people are purchasing furniture as gifts or for themselves.

“This is definitely the busy time of the year for anyone in furniture,” said Taylor.

Over the holidays, Walker’s adds merchandise that appeals to gift-givers, including armoires, coat racks and throw blankets.

De Scott, owner of Simply Northwest, a Spokane Valley specialty shop, wasn’t expecting a flood of customers on Friday either. The store carries gifts and Northwest foods and wines.

Scott, who has run her business for nearly 18 years, estimates that she’ll do 40 to 50 percent of her business in October, November and December.

“I count my life by how many Christmases I’ve survived.”