Bargain hunters come out in droves on Black Friday

By Denice Thibodeau

Published: November 28, 2008

Hoards of Black Friday shoppers were out in force, looking for bargains at Danville stores beginning at 4 a.m.

The first doors to open were at Goody’s Family Clothing and JCPenney — and people were lined up waiting for those doors to swing open at 4 a.m.

Becky Butts, of Yanceyville, N.C., was in line at Goody’s by 3:45 a.m.

“I want the Christmas quilt,” Butts said. “I’ve been looking for one.”

She had to be fast — just about all of the quilt sets, on sale for $17.88, flew off the tables and into shopping carts minutes after the doors opened.

Linda Norris and her twin, Brenda Kardulis, were visiting Danville from Asheville, N.C., and were one of the first people in line at Goody’s.

“Our Goody’s in Asheville has closed, and I miss it,” Norris said. “They’re giving $10 coupons, and anything you can save money on, I’m for it.”

Dog beds, on sale for $7.88, drew Casey Ellis, Justin Fulcher and Shane Ellis to the store. The three young men, all from Yancyville, N.C., were at the checkout at 4:08 a.m., dog beds and other items in hand, planning their next stop.

“It’s going to be a great day,” store manager Creed Guilliams said as he watched more than 100 people spread out through the store. “The doorbusters today and tomorrow will bring a lot of people in.”

At Wal-Mart, people started arriving before 3 a.m. to stake out the bargains they wanted. The aisles were lined with roped pallets holding the specials that wouldn’t be available until 5 a.m.

“We’ve got five people in the store, strategically placed for the things we want,” Tommy Shelton, of Danville, said.

Kim Ayers, of Martinsville, had the same strategy.

“There are five of us here, three in toys and two in electronics,” Ayers said as she staked out a V-Smile Pocket Learning System. “It’s kind of crazy — I’ve just got one kid, but I’m doing it for grandkids too.”

Christina Schnablegger, of Providence, N.C., said she had arrived early so she wouldn’t miss getting the digital camera she wanted.

“The pallet wasn’t even on the floor then — it was way in back. I’ve been following that pallet since 3:45 a.m.,” she said.

Six people had circled their wagons around a stack of 12-foot trampolines with safety enclosures that were on sale for $140 — and since there were only six of the trampolines in the pile, they weren’t moving.

“I got here at 2:45 a.m. to get one. It’s all I’ve heard for the last three months,” Roy Barker, of Danville, said with a tired grin. “Santa’s gotta do what Santa’s gotta do.”

It was almost impossible to get into the electronics department at 4:30 a.m. — shoppers and their carts blocked aisles, and the mob around the $13 DVD players wasn’t budging.

“It’s crazy,” said Kim Moore, of Burlington, N.C., as she stood in a long line of people hoping to purchase a game system. “I’m not feeling hopeful that standing in line will do any good.”

Steve Minnich, standing in line behind her, agreed. He was hoping to pick up a Nintendo DS game to take home to Maryland.

“We’re visiting my mother-in-law, and I saw the ad,” Minnich said. “I hope I get one.”

At Ollie’s Bargain Center, things were a little calmer, but at least 100 people hit the doors as they opened at 6 a.m., hoping to grab $4.99 MP3 players and other bargains.

In town from Chicago to visit family, Cecilia Arnold debated getting a horse-and-carriage Christmas lawn ornament.

“I hope I can fit it in the car,” she said, adding that she was already pricing car-toppers that would let her bring it home with her.

By the time the sun was starting to rise, parking lots at Piedmont Mall, Coleman MarketPlace, Toys “R” Us, Kmart and other stores were packed, with cars circling to find a parking place anywhere.

Downtown, traffic was smoother, but stores were still busy.

“We’ve had a great day,” Michelle Bender, of Dixie Bags & More, said. “We had about 30 people in here at lunchtime, shopping and eating in the café.”

John Thornton, of Ruffin, N.C., was shopping with his daughter, Lynn, who was visiting from New Jersey. They ordered lunch and browsed through the store.

As they looked over the hand-painted Christmas ornaments, John Thornton found one he wanted.

“That’s the one,” he said, of the ornament that read “Tobacco is our heritage” and had tobacco leaves painted on it. “That’s what we’re all about here.”

Lou’s Antique Mall also had a steady stream of shoppers enjoying the weekend-long open house.

Valerie Booker, of Danville, was thrilled with a deal she found.

“I sure found some goodies today,” she said as she completed the deal on a retro Formica kitchen table with bright red chairs. “It will look good with my modern décor.”

Lou’s will have door prizes throughout the weekend, and Santa will be paying a visit to the store from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday.

• Contact Denice Thibodeau at or (434) 791-7985.