Top Stories

POSTED: Friday, Nov. 28, 2008

Crowds line up for early-morning openings at Bellingham stores

BELLINGHAM - The national economy may be having its troubles, but many local and Canadian residents appeared to be shopping with gusto in the early morning hours of Black Friday.

The crowds patiently waiting outside many of Bellingham's big-box stores were larger than in recent years, as shoppers went looking for the deep discounts that retailers had promised. The bigger sales were an attempt to lure shoppers back into the stores after a significant recent slowdown in consumer spending across the country.

At Kohl's, one of two Bellingham stores that had a 4 a.m. opening, more than 750 people were lined up outside the doors. That was significantly more than two years ago, when the store had its first day-after Thanksgiving opening in Bellingham.

It paled in comparison to the crowd size at the 5 a.m. opening at Wal-Mart, however. It was difficult to get an estimate of all the people waiting to get in, because they were all over. One line stretched from the front entrance along the north side of the parking lot nearly to Meridian Street, while the other line wrapped from the front of the store around the south side of the building, nearly to the back. Not only was the Wal-Mart parking lot full of vehicles, but so were lots in a nearby strip mall, car wash area and restaurant area.

"This is a lot more people than last year," said Donna Henley of British Columbia, one of the first in line at Wal-Mart, just like the previous year. "I can't believe the difference."

It was still an efficient opening at Wal-Mart, however. Within five minutes of the doors opening, everyone in line had made it inside, looking for bargains.

ELECTRONICS POPULAR

Many veteran shoppers were the model of efficiency going through the aisles at stores like Target, which opened at 6 a.m. to more than 500 shoppers. Many had a shopping cart or ad flier in one hand and a cell phone in the other, communicating with family members at other stores, comparing prices. Within 10 minutes of the opening, many shoppers had a full cart, making their way to the cash registers.

At Target, shoppers quickly swamped the electronics section, snapping up games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Joy Born of Ferndale was on the outer edge of the crowd, waiting for one of her daughters, who had waded into the department to do some shopping.

"I usually don't do this, but my daughter wanted to get some shopping done, and I thought it would be fun to come along," Born said.

Being a relative newcomer to Black Friday, Born lucked out when it came to getting what she wanted. While standing in line at Target, she was handed a Radio Shack flier that had some of the items she wanted on sale. She went into the mall and was second in line at the electronics store.

"A Radio Shack employee asked me what I wanted before they opened the door, and got all my stuff for me, which was very nice," Born said.

Inside the mall, shopping appeared brisk as several stores raised their gates before the scheduled 6 a.m. opening. At Romy, a women's clothing store, shoppers crowded around bins offering 90 percent discounts on clothes.

By 6:30 a.m., the parking lots at Bellis Fair were full, along with lots by Joe's, Best Buy and Circuit City.

While the shopping event was serious business for many, it was a spectacle for others. Soon after the 4 a.m. opening, Mike Peetoom was near the front entrance of Kohl's, quietly taking in the scene of crowds milling through products and cashiers busily ringing up orders. He had come with family members who were somewhere in that sea of humanity.

"Everyone is so friendly, it's kind of fun to watch," said Peetoom, who works at Ferndale Floors. "We'll move on to some other stores, where there are some electronic items on our lists. It's one of those events where you can have fun with the family."