Shoppers rush in for the bargains
By ANTHONY GAYNOR, Staff WriterArticle Photos
Nearly freezing temperatures and snow flurries was not enough to keep determined bargain hunters from invading door-buster sales this morning. When Kmart at Valley Pointe Shopping Center opened at 6 a.m., there were nearly 200 people in line.
"We were at Wal-Mart and our wives sent the husbands here for a laptop," Aaron Curlee of Elkins said while standing in the front of the line. "I have been here since 1 a.m."
Around 4:30 a.m. there were approximately14 people in line gathered around the door, and by the 6 a.m. opening, the line swelled to approximately 200 people.
"I am here from North Carolina and I am here to get a $7 pair of slippers for my mother while she is at Wal-Mart," Cindy Morgan said while waiting in line at Kmart.
The line crossed the roadway in front of the store and came close to reaching the back of the parking lot. The $119 laptop and a Nintendo DSI at Kmart seemed to be the hot items for the day. Quantities were limited to ensure that shoppers got what they came for. Kmart manager Melvin Clark handed out flyers depicting specific items. Those without a flyer were unable to purchase certain merchandise.
"I think the crowd is great," Clark said. "It is going to be better than last year."
Rob Bohon of Parsons said he was standing in line on Black Friday for the first time this year.
"I am here for my grandchildren," he said. "Everyone is out for the deals and trying to save a dollar."
Bargain hunter David Nethken of Elkins said he was out trying to finish off his holiday shopping and said he was willing to stand out in the cold for the prices.
When the doors opened at Kmart, the group rushed inside making the line they formed into organized chaos. Inside the store all the carts were taken and people made dashes toward the deal items.
For the fourth year in a row, the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in Beverly provided free hot chocolate to the crowd to keep warm. Members of the church said it was the earliest they have ever seen people begin lining up at Kmart.
The church came with eight gallons - enough to serve 250 people - of hot chocolate and served it all before the store opened.
At Sears along Harrison Avenue, cars parked all around the building and on both sides of the road for the 5 a.m. opening.
"It was crazy," Sears employee Brandon Tenney said after the opening. "We had people parked all the way around our store."
Inside Sears, there were several people waiting in line to buy their items and several employees were helping customers carry purchases to their vehicles.
