YULE SHOPPING BEATS SUNRISE

Christmas holiday shoppers beat the sunrise as they crowded into retail stores Friday to catch the best deals the day after Thanksgiving.

Numerous stores, including Venture, Target, Sears, Toys R Us, and Kmart opened their doors earlier than usual.

All reported lines of shoppers eager to grab "early-bird" and/or "doorbuster" specials.

Other stores throughout the area also opened earlier than usual,with plans to close later as well, for a head start on what is traditionally the year's busiest retail day.

The sun was still hidden beyond the Eastern horizon Friday when Toys R Us opened its doors to a waiting crowd of more than 100 at 6 a.m.

Across the Interstate (55), even more people were lined up at the Target Store, awaiting the 7 a.m. opening, where the first 500 people received Snowden Gift Bags, filled with goodies and samples from Target's special Snowden Shop.

Lines also formed early at Venture store in West Park Mall, Kmart, and at Sears Department Store in Town Plaza Shopping Center, each with 7 a.m. opening times.

Retailers had advertised their Friday and Saturday sales and specials. More than 200 display advertisements and about 20 inserts were published in the Southeast Missourian's Thanksgiving Day publication.

Parking spaces were at a premium throughout the city. The West Park Mall parking lot was at near capacity by 10 a.m. A large number of vehicles were observed in the Town Plaza Shopping Center during the noon hour.

Some area shoppers emptied their wallets, others were looking and comparing.

"They're buying a number of items," said Doug Rowe, manager of Target. "Many were looking at our new Snowden line." The Snowden line includes a number of toys -- including its own beanbag characters -- and clothing.

A lot of people were buying, said Paul Hawkins, manager at Sears. "We had a terrific crowd and a terrific day.

By mid-afternoon, the hardware department at Sears had already surpassed the good sales day during the period a year ago.

"People were buying hardware," said Hawkins, who was already preparing for today.

Consumers were heading for the "specials" at Toys R Us, which advertised a number of items at prices with savings of 35 to as much as 65 percent.

Traffic was great at Kmart, said manager William Marra. "We had a line from our store to Fazola's. And people appeared to be in a buying mood." Kmart had number of five-hour specials.

Downtown Cape Girardeau traffic was heavy also. Many downtown visitors congregated in front of Hutson's Furniture for a look at the store's annual Christmas window, which was revealed Thanksgiving Day.

Spurts of heavy traffic was reported in a number of downtown stores, including Hecht's and Judith Ann's.

Retailers agree that sales were good on a number of items -- clothing, toys, video games, jewelry and books.

Just how busy the stores will stay through the holiday season is uncertain, though retailers are expecting better than average numbers. Most research groups have forecasted an increase of 3.5 to 4 percent increases this year.

But, a recent Associated Press poll says nearly a third of American say they will spend less on gifts this year. About half indicated they would match 1996 spending.

Retailers count on the holidays for about half their annual sales and profits. Last year, consumers did 10 percent of their Christmas shopping during the weekend following Thanksgiving, according another research group, the International Council of Shopping Centers, a New York-based trade group.

Although consumers will continue to fill stores and malls this weekend, retailers still worry that they will browse rather than buy. Sales for much of this year have been less than stellar and the last two holiday seasons have been disappointing for retailers.

Restaurants and other food establishments were crowded Friday, Long lines were observed at restaurants throughout West Park Mall.

But there still are many retailers counting on a strong Christmas. Toy stores are expected to have a solid season, thanks to the wide array of products in big demand.