Black Friday shopping

They're bargain-bound and sleep-deprived -- they're Black Friday shoppers.

They don't mind standing in chilly parking lots before dawn if it means getting a free game with the new Game Boy Advance or a complimentary snow globe. And while they don't necessarily cherish jam-packed stores or impossibly long lines, they'll deal with them if it means getting a Bob the Builder toy or 70 percent off "fine and precious" jewelry.

"Our friends think we're nuts, but we have a blast," said Becky Weaver of Holcomb, Mo., who stayed in a hotel in Cape Girardeau Wednesday night with her mother-in-law before waking up at 3:30 a.m. to get bargains at KB Toys and Toys R Us.

Retailers call the day after Thanksgiving Black Friday because they say it's the day the can go "out of the red" and "into the black" for annual revenue. It's the kickoff to the holiday shopping season and one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

Things were hectic in Cape Girardeau, where early-morning lines could be found at Best Buy, Target, Kmart, JCPenney, Big Lots and several other stores. Parking lots were nearly full as customers left stores with carts full of televisions, video games and other soon-to-be presents.

Most stores opened several hours earlier than usual -- KB Toys opened at 5 a.m. -- and offered door prizes, rebates and discounted merchandise. That was too much temptation for many to resist, even if it meant a few hours less sleep and braving 30-degree temperatures.

"I know, we're the crazy people," said Phyllis Tallent of Jackson. "But we love sales."

Tallent was at Best Buy at 5 a.m., standing in a line that went halfway around the building. She waited for about an hour in order to get a lap-top computer at a marked-down price.

"I had to have it," she said. "I heard they only have 10 of them, and it's a great price."

Sales to go up

The National Retail Federation predicts total holiday retail sales, which exclude restaurant and auto sales, will increase by 4 percent to roughly $209.25 billion. That would make it the weakest increase since 1997. Last holiday, retailers had $201.2 billion in sales, up 5.6 percent from 2000.

While the Thanksgiving weekend starts the shopping spree, it no longer is the busiest period of the season. Last year, the weekend accounted for 8.4 percent of holiday sales. The busiest period was the last week before Christmas, which accounted for 34 percent of holiday sales, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.

Retailers say it's an important day nonetheless.

"Thanksgiving is a week later, so we're crunching five weeks of shopping into four weeks," said JCPenney manager Gary McDowell. "Half of our profits come from this quarter. It's going to be more important than ever."

McDowell said there were 150 people waiting to come into the store by 5:30 a.m.

Mike Baldwin is the assistant store manager at Cape Girardeau's Big Lots, a close-out retailer that had 200 people waiting in line for $30 VCRs, $20 watches and marked-down scooters.

"These are the weeks that determine your year," Baldwin said. "The rest of the year is treading water. This is your gravy. It's what makes you profitable. Today is what starts it all and what gets our blood pumping."

Circuit City manager Paul Wilson said there were about 250 customers waiting for his store to open, creating a line that stretched all the way across the electronic store's parking lot. He said their big sale was all compact discs for $9.99.

"We were swamped," he said Friday morning. "We're still swamped. It's been crazy. I think we've even had more this year than last year, which surprised me."

He said Circuit City will do about 40 percent of its business in December.

For customers, though, it's less about the economy and more about the fun and saving money.

"I like the hustle and bustle," said Linda Hargraves of Fruitland, who was at Kmart at 5 a.m. "I like getting out with everybody. And not going to work, that's what's wonderful."

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137