Holiday shoppers, intent on finding bargains, descended on the Washington region's malls this morning, joining a nationwide shopping spree that has come to be known as Black Friday.
But in what could be a bad sign for local retailers struggling to boost relatively sluggish sales, most of the shoppers interviewed vowed to watch their wallets closely this year.
In a bid to draw large numbers of consumers into their stores, retailers once again offered giveaways and deep discounts on the Friday after Thanksgiving, hoping the volume of sales would compensate for any losses.
Lured by an early morning sale, customers began lining up outside a Best Buy store in Alexandria, Va., at 11 p.m. last night. When the doors opened at 6 a.m., the line had grown to about 500 people, all of them bundled up in gloves and scarves.
"It's been a long wait," said 29-year-old Shyam Prasad, the first shopper in line, who hoped to save about $400 on a personal computer.
Next door, at Staples, customers nibbled on cereal as they waited for a 6 a.m. store opening.
As they rushed inside, most found themselves quickly trapped in a traffic jam of shopping carts.
"I can't believe this," said Mary Phillips. "I mean, this is Staples."
The shopping period between now and Dec. 25 is crucial for retailers, who have, by and large, experienced a sluggish pre-holiday season.
Sales at the country's chain stores rose just 2.4 percent in September, compared with 5.9 percent in 2003. August sales, typically strong because of back-to-school purchasing, proved equally disappointing.
Today has come to be known as Black Friday because retailers hope the day's sales push their stores into profitability, or into the black, for the first time all year.
