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NewsNovember 27, 1999

Chris Elfrink could have slept late the day after Thanksgiving with a day off from school, but he had excitement in mind. He and his mother, Geri, left their Marble Hill home at 4:30 a.m. and drove to Cape Girardeau to be first in line at Toys R Us for the store's 6 a.m. opening...

FRED LYNCH AND B. RAY OWEN

Chris Elfrink could have slept late the day after Thanksgiving with a day off from school, but he had excitement in mind.

He and his mother, Geri, left their Marble Hill home at 4:30 a.m. and drove to Cape Girardeau to be first in line at Toys R Us for the store's 6 a.m. opening.

The main draw for the first 500 shoppers at the toy store was a free Pokemon playmat and game coin to use with the trading cards, made popular by the children's television show, trading cards and a newly-released movie."It was something fun to do together," she said, "and when you get up early, you can see the stars out.

We got out early last year and went to Target for the Hot Wheels car," she said. However, this year they had no specific purchase in mind at the early hour.

Also in the early line was Judy H. of Sikeston who declined to give her full name."I don't want people at work making fun of me," she said. She was there to buy an Easy Bake Oven and a bicycle, each at half-price.

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Another shopper, also requesting anonymity, was looking to Target which opened an hour later than Toys R Us. "That's our next stop," she said. "They're giving away Pokemon door hangers, with a chance to win one of 30 exclusive Pokemon backpacks."In order to get shoppers to buy rather than browse, merchants started the holiday season today by cutting prices and offering freebies, and many shoppers showed up before dawn.

Crowds were big early Friday at Sears in Town Plaza Shopping Center, where that giant retailer was selling certain sets of Craftsman Tools at half-price, along with a few boys and girls bicycles and certain other items, from 7 to 11 a.m.

Bargain prices lured shoppers to Wal-Mart Supercenters nationwide, including Cape Girardeau and Jackson.

Some shoppers bemoaned the fact that had to rise early to participate in pricing."I certainly didn't want to be here," said one West Park Mall shopper, "but you can't beat the Friday prices.

A lot is riding on the next five weeks, when most store owners tally a significant portion of their annual sales. Last year, merchants rang up more than $170 billion in sales during the holiday period, and with more people working this year, estimates are that Americans will spend an average of $500 per family. Projections are that sales will increase from five to 10 percent.

Retailers, however, have more competition this year, with the popularity of the Internet. Last year, online holiday sales sold only $3 billion, but this year's expectations for the Internet are big."Shoppers won't just be at the mall, "said Bemire, chairman of the consulting firm America's Research Group in Charleston, S.C. "They'll be checking things our online, and where they find the better deal is where they might actually make the purchase."Beemer is a familiar name with Cape Girardeans and Southeast Missourians. He has served as guest speaker at two business conferences in Cape Girardeau.

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