For friends, Black Friday ritual stays same but shopping evolves

Kids and relationships aren’t the only things that have changed since the women started shopping together. The Internet and smart phones are making bargain hunting more efficient, expanded store hours are making shopping more competitive and guerrilla marketing campaigns are making the time spent waiting in long lines more bearable.

The pair starts to develop their attack plan weeks ahead of time. Rosser keeps an eye on sale ads in the newspaper and uses store e-mails and websites like Black Friday 2010, which collects online ads and store hours, to figure out who has the best deals.

The mother of three still makes her list the old-fashioned way, using pen and paper, but more shoppers are making lists electronically and using smart phones to keep them handy. That’s how Meredith and Troy Jones of Lawrenceville remembered to pick up the Food Network Bread Maker from Kohl's and Power Wheels Lightning McQueen Ride-On from Kmart.

“The new thing this year is the iPhone apps,” said Meredith Jones. “They have changed shopping on Black Friday. They compiled all the different circulars, and they have databases so you can search it.”

After two sluggish years, retailers are pulling out all the stops to make sure they turn a profit this Black Friday, said John Heavener, president of the Georgia Retail Association.

Heavener said retailers are optimistic about sales after increases in the last couple of months. This season, they expect a 1.5 percent to 2.5 percent increase over last year.

“Retailers are competing for every dollar in the marketplace,” he said. “If you don’t get the volume, you don’t get the profit, which is what everyone is trying to do in every which way.”

Finding the deals is one thing, but staying up all night to get them is what distinguishes power shoppers like Rosser and McFall from the amateurs.

The moms met up Thanksgiving night around 8:30 p.m. at QuikTrip for coffee before heading to Walmart for the midnight sale.

After picking up the first round of gifts, the two left Rosser’s mom and sister waiting in line for the 5 a.m. electronics sale while they darted over to Target for the 4 a.m. opening.

While waiting outside the Mall of Georgia store, the duo got a taste of guerrilla marketing, a nontraditional approach to get people to buy products. They received free water and soda from a cell phone company, and a flier from a nearby Jamaican restaurant that took orders and delivered food to waiting shoppers.

"That's new, and I think it is awesome. I know they're pushing their product, but it benefits both people. They're getting their product out there, and we're getting food," Rosser said.

At 4 a.m. sharp, Target opened and shoppers ran inside and began flinging flat-screen TVs into red shopping carts and snatching up $7 pajamas and $3.99 DVDs. Once inside, Rosser and McFall split up, but by 4:36 a.m., both had checked out, and McFall, a Dacula mother of two, proudly secured one of her best buys -- a Polaroid digital camcorder for $49.99, $40 off the original price.

After stopping for more coffee, the duo was back to Walmart by 4:50 a.m. to meet up with Rosser's family for a second round of purchases, which included the toy hamsters Zhu Zhus, and a 19-inch flat screen TV.

Finally, the moms closed out the all-night shopping trip with a stop at Old Navy in Mall of Georgia, where at 6 a.m. a long line snaked through the crowded store.

The friends estimate they've saved thousands of dollars over the years by shopping on Black Friday, but the real draw isn't just the deals.

"It's our time together," McFall said. "It's something we look forward to every year."

Black Friday triumphs

Karey McFall's best buys

Nintendo Wii, $199 at Walmart with $50 gift card to Walmart

Polaroid digital camcorder, $49 at Target

Patti Rosser's best buys

Sony iPod docking station, $59 at Walmart

Paper Jamz duo, $29 at Walmart