Let The Shopping Begin

Like the precision of a finely tuned NFL game plan, Kaye Blewett and her two daughters know how to make the most of Black Friday sales.

It's shoppers like Blewett that merchants are hoping to attract when the Christmas shopping season unofficially begins Friday.

Traditionally, merchants slash prices and open early in anticipation of heavy sales on the day after Thanksgiving or Black Friday.

Blewett and her daughters will wake up at 4:30 a.m. and leave their kids at home with their husbands for a morning of camaraderie and shopping.

The store circulars will be closely examined in advance. The three shoppers will then develop a tight schedule so as to not miss the best bargains.

In each of several stores, the three women will spread out for the "scavenger hunt," and discuss their next move by cell phone.

Daughter Amy Martin is taking no chances on missing a bargain and won't waste much time deciding whether she truly wants a particular item.

"It's better to get it," said Martin. "You can always take it back."

Stores at the Lakeshore Mall are preparing for a big day. Jenny Cheek, mall director, said the shopper traffic increases 50 percent between Black Friday and Christmas Eve compared to the rest of the year.

Mall merchants JC Penny and Belk will open the doors at 4 a.m., with Bealls opening at 5 a.m. and K-Mart at 6 a.m.

For those who just can't wait, most of 160 stores at the Altamont Mall, in Altamont Springs, will open for business at 12:01 a.m. Friday.

Cheek compared this year's anticipated turnout to those from years past.

"It's a fun, circus atmosphere," said Cheek. "It might be bigger than normal. People are trying to save."

For Black Friday, KMart will sell 42-inch Samsung plasma televisions for $700, GE digital cameras for $80, a Nextar GPS for $80 and Nintendo Wii at $250.

The bargains, from 5 to 11 a.m. at Wal-Mart, include a Garmin GPS for $97, more than 50 DVDs at $2 and men's Wranglers jeans at $8.

Bealls Outlet will hold a two-day sale, starting Friday, with 50 percent off "Doorbusters" on "Christmas of the Home," or with a coupon, 15 percent off almost everything storewide.

At The Home Depot, Ruth Knox, assistant manager, said the day after Thanksgiving is one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

The store opens at 6 a.m., and last year more than 20 people waited locked out until that moment.

"It's crazy; it gets insane," said Knox.

Depot store management ordered the same amount of holiday sale items as last year.

"It's important for everybody," said Knox. "I hope we're as busy as last year."