AJC historic papers available at Kroger, Publix, QT

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution no longer has copies available at its downtown location of Wednesday’s newspaper commemorating the first African-American president elect in history.

After selling nearly 50,000 copies in its lobby over the past three days, the AJC encourages customers to visit their local Kroger or Publix grocery store or QuikTrip convenience store to purchase a copy of Wednesday’s paper.

• Order front page reprints at ajcstore.com

• Video: Atlantans grab snapshot of history NEW! | Photos

• Online special: Atlanta's special day and the president-elect's victory speech

• More coverage, reaction

Coming this Sunday, Nov. 9: Our newspaper's special keepsake editions

Two Sunday special sections will detail President-elect Barack Obama’s groundbreaking campaign and the challenges facing his administration.

“We are already planning expanded distribution for our special commemorative edition this coming Sunday,” said Bob Eickhoff, senior vice president for operations.

Across the country Americans scrambled to find printed confirmation of the historic election. On eBay entrepreneurs were seeking as much as $400 for a copy of the New York Times edition announcing Obama’s win.

They may have watched the returns on TV or followed events online, but newspapers produce images that can be framed or preserved in a scrapbook for generations yet to come.

Newspapers available locally at retail outlets and street-side racks sold out before dawn Wednesday. The paper prints 267,000 copies on a typical Wednesday morning run. But by the end of the day, 417,000 copies had been printed. More papers were printed and sold in the lobby on Thursday.