A large number of stores started ringing up sales as early as midnight... such as those at the outlet malls in Commerce and Dawsonville and even some of the more traditional department stores like Sears, Penny's, and Belk opened at 4:00. But economic analysts say cash flow and credit issues will mean many retailers have reduced inventories today.
The Wal-Mart in Oakwood was described as "crazy" with shoppers by AccessNorthGa.com's Katie Austin... and that was before 5:30 this morning. That store also opened at midnight.
Traffic on Georgia 400 at one point was reportedly backed up into Fulton County about midnight as shoppers tried to exit at the Dawsonville outlets.
More than 300 people were in line when Best Buy in Gainesville opened at 5:00 and shoppers were lined up at Lakeshore Mall in Gainesville and the Target in Flowery Branch well before daybreak.
People reportedly camped out in the parking lot overnight at Best Buy in Buford across from the Mall of Georgia hungry for a less than $200 lap top.
Inside the Mall Susan Harris had a big shopping bag full of what she said were good deals that she had to stand in line for.
"We got out here about 4:00 a.m. to Penney's and we did a little shopping and got a few really great deals," she said.
Daughter Jenna Harris said there were large crowds but not quite what she expected.
"There's just not as many people and you figure with the economy the way it is there would be more people trying to get the early door busters," she said.
Mall officials said the Black Friday turnout was at least as large as it was last year.
In Commerce, at the outlet mall there, Jerry Shuler of Shuler's Great Outdoors was pleased with the turnout in the first hours after his midnight opening. It was the third year that the store has been in business and the third that he's opened, along with other stores at the mall, at midnight on Thanksgiving. Shuler admitted Friday that he was leery of the concept when first approached about it three years ago but says it seems to be working. Shuler said the first year things were slow in the wee hours of Friday morning but he attributes that to the store being new and not many people were aware of it. Last year, he says, business was great and he was pleased with the turnout this year as well.
Later in the day, shoppers crowded downtown Gainesville, looking for bargains. Downtown stores typically open later in the day on the Friday after Thanksgiving. A late addition this year which merchants say should help with the crowds is the new four-story parking deck, which can handle more than 400 vehicles. The deck was supposed to be finished several months ago but it was not until Tuesday that it opened.
Business was brisk and stores were already running out of some popular items as the official Christmas shopping season began in metro Atlanta.
At a Wal-Mart in Marietta, popular items like the Rock Band music video game, flat screen televisions, cameras and other electronics were sold out before 7 a.m., two hours after the store opened its doors.
Aside from electronics, store clerks said $2 bath towels, kitchen items and children's toys were also selling well.
Shoppers at the discount store said the line to get in was long and the parking lot packed at 5 a.m. But, as extremely low-priced ``door buster'' items ran out, checkout lines dwindled and parking spots were easy to find by 7 a.m.
<(The Associated Press and AccessNorthGa.com's Jerry Gunn, Katie Austin, B.J. Williams and SeNita McRae contributed to this story.)
Thousands of shoppers hit Mall of Georgia stores Firday morning
http://accesswdun.com/article/2009/11/225061