Black Friday" shoppers flock to local stores

From the Friday, Nov. 28, 2008 Web edition of the Northwest Herald:

Black Friday" shoppers flock to local stores
By DIANA SROKA - dsroka@nwherald.com

Tony and Pam Silvestri didn't bother going to sleep last night. On their drive home from Thanksgiving dinner, the Huntley couple saw a crowd forming outside the Algonquin Best Buy store. They figured if they wanted to give their daughter a laptop computer for Christmas, they had better get in line, too.

"My daughter is 17 and going to college next year," Pam Silvestri said, while standing in line around 4:30 a.m. "This is the only way we could afford it."

The Silvestris were just two of many shoppers across McHenry County who either woke up early or camped outside area retail stores in hopes of catching "doorbuster" sales.

Known as "Black Friday," the day after Thanksgiving is considered the first day retailers start making annual profits, or go into the black, accounting-wise. But due to the challenging economy, this season retailers are trying especially hard to entice shoppers.

According to the Associated Press, preliminary reports from several major retailers including Macy’s and Toys “R” Us said that crowds were at least as large as last year’s. The Thanksgiving shopping weekend of Friday through Sunday accounted for about 10 percent of overall holiday sales nationwide in 2007, according to ShopperTrak RCT Corp.

The group hasn’t released estimates for Black Friday sales this year, but experts believe it will remain one of the season’s biggest selling days, even as shoppers remain deliberate in their spending.

Stores at Huntley’s Prime Outlets mall opened at midnight. The first 500 shoppers who showed up in pajamas received free Jockey pajamas.

Best Buy advertised steep savings on TVs, computers and mp3 players. Shoppers who purchased Apple iPod Nanos received $20 gift certificates.

The Silvestris estimated they saved about $500 on the computer and a digital camera by shopping so early. Carri Overheidt, of East Dundee, walked out of the Algonquin store with a Sony home theater system and estimated her savings at $130.

Lines formed outside the outlet stores in Huntley before midnight. When doors opened, thousands flooded the stores like the Bath and Body Works store, hoping to get even better deals than can traditionally be found at the discount stores.

"Madhouse," said Lesie Marcordes, manager. "[There was] wall-to-wall people."

• The Associated Press contributed to this report.