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Friday, November 23, 2007
Black Friday in the books
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It was a day of early-morning fever and early afternoon fatigue for shoppers throughout the Atlanta area on Black Friday. Reporters and photographers (and readers) were out documenting this sale-induced holiday fever - from long and cold lines before dawn to hungry shoppers braving an outside chill so they could find a seat at the Mall of Georgia. To get a feel for the day as it unfolded, check the chronological blog below. Readers can comment below on their experience — whether out and about or cozy at home. Check out the photos here. Story. Video.
2:30 p.m. Like many of the early-morning shopping shoppers, AJC shopping and fashion reporter is calling it a day out at the Mall of Georgia. She said many of the shoppers who had been out since 6 a.m. (or before for those waiting in lines) have hit the wall, so to speak. “There wasn’t like a second shift,” she said. But really, six hours of crowded shopping and walking and carrying bags can get tiresome. Nedra said many of the stores will continue with sales (not the “doorbusters”, but the typical buy one thing get another half off) throughout the weekend.
1:43 p.m. Well, we won’t know for sure if $2,000 was the most spent today by one person (surely it wasn’t) but staff photographer Vino Wong talked to a gentleman from Nashville that dropped two large at Gwinett Place Mall. Vino took the man’s photograph with all of his merchandise. Check the gallery soon.
1:27 p.m. New photos keep coming in from AJC reporters, freelancers and staff photographers. Check the gallery here.
12:19 p.m. The food court at the Mall of Georgia is packed, and there is limited seating indoors so hungry diners are outside in frigid temperatures balancing bags and food trays as they try to chow down on some French fries. — Nedra Rhone
We want in Some service stores can’t exactly offer the same sales but are still taking advantage of the larger audience at the malls. Doctor’s Vison Works at the Mall of Georgia has a big sign that reads: “Don’t Let Your Vision Insurance Benefits expire on Dec. 31. Come in today.”
Noon Chad Evitts of Lawrenceville said he and his family didn’t get out early enough to get the big deals. The 15 to 25 percent off — which is pretty standard for all stores today — “was just enough to make you feel like you had to buy something,” he said. — Nedra Rhone
Sale update Old Navy at the Mall of Georgia has $30 to $40 cashmere sweaters, which is a huge deal. The 15-to-20 minute wait in line suggests others feel the same way. — Nedra Rhone
10:32 a.m. Take cash, says AJC shopping and fashion reporter Nedra Rhone. She’s partially joking, but that’s how she cut time from standing in line at JC Penney’s at the Mall of Georgia. A credit machine broke at a register and the woman behind the counter called for Cash Only, causing an obvious uproar. “JC Penney was a madhouse,” Nedra said. The store had 40 to 60 percent off almost everything. Nedra said the catch to many of these sales is there is a time limit, which is why so many shoppers get an early start. The JC Penney sale ends at 1 p.m. American Eagle’s 15 percent off everything in the store runs until noon.
10: 30 a.m. A two-for-$30 sale on NCAA fleeces is causing a madhouse at Finish Line at the Mall of Georgia. — Nedra Rhone
9:45 a.m. What better place to experience Black Friday than Georgia’s largest mall? The 40-minute drive from downtown was uneventful. It seemed like everyone decided to get off at the exit for the Fry’s Electronic’s in Duluth (see below). It did take about 10-15 minutes to find parking at the mall, but it wasn’t much different than an average Saturday at Lenox. — Nedra Rhone
7:30 a.m. In the Fry’s parking lot in Duluth, a few shoppers struggled to get all their purchases in the trunks and backseats of their vehicles. The challenge became a puzzle, as they turned some bags sideways and piled boxes on top of one another to make all the pieces fit. Other shoppers yelled into their cell phones. They spoke in English, Vietnamese and Spanish as they coordinated with friends and family members. Ken Le from Lawrenceville picked up a set of speakers at Fry’s for a friend who was trying to buy a laptop computer from Best Buy. Le didn’t plan to buy anything for himself, but the speakers were so cheap he got a pair for himself. “You see all the sales while you’re waiting in line to buy stuff and you get more than what you planned,” Le said. “That’s how they get you.” — Laura Diamond
7:30 a.m. David Jones of Snellville last slept Wednesday night. He started chugging caffeine about 8 p.m. Thursday to stay awake for Friday’s shopping. His quest was to find “geek stuff for cheap.” He and two friends searched for hard drives, flash drives and digital photo frames. By about 7:30 a.m. Friday, the group was getting ready to walk into Fry’s electronics in Duluth. They already hit Circuit City, Staples and OfficeMax. Jones said he already spent $357, including $50 worth of gifts for others. Jones reasoned that because he’s young, single and has no kids he can afford to splurge on himself. “If that means I have to go without eating for a month I can handle it,” Jones joked. — Laura Diamond
DeKalb County Police boost presence, warn shoppers In a release, the DeKalb County Police Department said it’s stepping up patrols at Perimeter, North DeKalb, Stonecrest, Northlake and South DeKalb malls. Basic idea here is to deter theft targeting shoppers. Here are some of tips they give. 1. Place purse, valuables in the trunk. 2. Keep aware of surroundings. 3. Walk in groups. 4. Pay attention to other vehicles to see if you’re being followed.
6:45 a.m. The shopping complex at Edgewood wasn’t as crowded as I figured. Best Buy’s parking lot was mostly filled but there were still some spots and I expected more of a zoo. There were about seven to eight people lined up outside GameStop. And it’s always a little unsettling to see someone crossing a major street with a huge boxed TV in the dark of night. Felt like I was watching “The Sopranos.” — Mike Benzie
6 a.m. Suzanne Bishop and her sons McClain, 12, and Mills, 16, were leaving the Buckhead Ritz-Carlton headed for area shops at 6 a.m. Friday. It was their second outing of the day. The trio, in town for Thanksgiving from St. Simons Island, went out the first time at 4:30 a.m. They burst back into the lobby about an hour later carrying shopping bags from Belk, across the street at Phipps Plaza. They saved big on items from digital photo frames to Hannah Montana gear, and were eager for another round of bargain hunting. “We’re going to Circuit City next,” Bishop said. Lynn Youngblood, a Ritz guest in town from Easley, S.C., was headed out close to 6 a.m. “We’ll probably start at Target, then we’ll hit Macy’s,” she said. “A little something to stimulate the economy. “I’m not planning to buy a condo, though,” she continued, in jesting reference to Atlanta’s housing market, “although I understand that’s what y’all need.” — Jennifer Brett
5 a.m. Duluth resident Lynda Ashby starts her pursuit at Gwinnett Place Mall. “Some people like to get up early to go hunting,” Ashby said. “This is my version of hunting. I’m hunting for deals and I’m finding them.” Ashby, dressed in a comfortable sweat suit and sneakers, expertly balanced arms full of shopping bags. She bought clothes at Belk. She picked up bathroom slippers, cologne and perfume and other items from Macy’s. She bought gift cards from other stores. Ashby finished her day at about 8 a.m. — Laura Diamond
4:45 a.m. Circuit City employee Josh Jones made his way along the line of 500 outside the store on Barrett Parkway in Kennesaw, announcing a few basic ground rules to the anxious, cold shoppers. “No running over people, no chaos” Jones told shoppers. “If you run over people, we’re going to shut the door.” Jones, who assured shoppers that everyone would get in, said that the line wasn’t quite as long as last year’s line on the morning after Thanksgiving, which overflowed into the adjacent Carmax parking lot. — Mike Morris, Patti Bond
4:30 a.m. Sometimes you have to spend money to save money. Jeff Delgado and his 18-year-old son Shane, drove from Cartersville to Kennesaw at 7 p.m. Thursday to secure their places near the front of the line at the Circuit City on Barrett Parkway. Both Jeff, who works in construction, and Shane, who attends Shorter College in Rome, were purchasing Compaq laptop computers for $299.99, a savings of $350 on each computer. But with overnight temperatures dipping into the 30s, the father and son discovered they had come ill prepared to spend the night on the sidewalk outside the store’s front door. Luckily for them, the Wal-Mart just down the road was open on Thursday night. “We’ve already spent 150 bucks,” Jeff Delgado said 30 minutes before the Circuit City opened at 5 a.m. “A tent, two sleeping bags, chairs.” - Mike Morris
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