Shoppers Get an Early Start

By Annys Shin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, November 25, 2006

Washington area retailers and mall managers attempted to lure shoppers yesterday with $25 DVD players at Target, a "naturally bearded" Santa at the Mall at Prince Georges, and two-story stuffed giraffes at Fair Oaks Mall.

It looked like shoppers took the bait.

"We could clearly see that there was an increase in traffic today," said Debbie Young, marketing manager for Westfield Shoppingtown Wheaton. "This is one of the best Black Fridays we have ever seen."

Although weekend sales figures won't be calculated until Monday, Young and other mall managers said signs so far indicated a brisk holiday selling season.

After making the rounds of retailers at two malls, Westfield Shoppingtown Montgomery and Annapolis, marketing manager Scott Degraffenreid said foot traffic was especially strong from 7 to 9 a.m.

"The weather helped," he said. "It was a gorgeous day to get out of the house."

Here's how some shoppers fared around the region.

Fair Oaks Mall, Fairfax

At 8 a.m., the mall bustled with shoppers holding coffee cups in one hand and cellphones in the other, coordinating meeting points and buying strategies.

Tom Banks and his 17-year-old daughter, Courtney, have made it a tradition for the last 10 years to drive from their home in Culpeper to the Fairfax mall on Black Friday.

"I'm going to walk around with Courtney for the first hour just to get warmed up and then we're going to separate so I can look for myself and she can get serious about her shopping," said Banks, 52.

On top of his list: a pullover or dress shirt from Banana Republic for his 24-year-old son, who is stationed in Iraq. "I was kind of dreading the crowds today because gas prices are low and I thought it would be crazy here. But this really isn't too bad," he said. "Pretty civilized."

-- Cecilia Kang

Westfield Shoppingtown Montgomery, Bethesda

Bianca Olivas, 48, gave her sister, who lives in Silver Spring, a 4 a.m. wake-up call so they could get out shopping by 5 a.m. They were disappointed when they got to Radio Shack in Aspen Hill and it wasn't yet open, so they headed to Westfield Shoppingtown Montgomery where, in five hours, they spent more than $1,500 between them on a Christmas tree, clothes, shoes, toys and electronics.

"We have to go to more stores but our car is already full of packages," Olivas said. "We'll have to take some home and then come back."

-- Dana Hedgpeth

Downtown Washington

At the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, model airplanes and space-oriented toys were among the best-selling items. Jeanette Robinson, 44, bought astronaut-themed gifts for her friends back home in Tulsa.

Shoppers clogged the aisles of the tiny shop at the Phillips Collection near Dupont Circle. Joan Mayfield, head of retail operations, scheduled six salespeople to work, compared with three or four on a typical day.

"People are looking to us more for shopping these days," Mayfield said. "Some people don't even see the exhibit. They spend their whole time in the shop."

-- Kim Hart

14th & U Streets NW

On a warm, almost springlike day, moms and daughters, visiting relatives, friends and couples strolled U and 14th.

"I avoid the mall at all times. The whole point of living in D.C. is the convenience factor," said Irene Katz, a Woodley Park resident and federal retiree, who was shopping with her visiting sister. "It's so much more fun and funky in D.C."

Sarah Hrdlicka, who lives in Columbia Heights with her sister, Katie, won't go near a mall. "The sales are just not worth all the stress."

Her mother, Nancy, although she is a self-proclaimed mall lover from Minnesota, has never been to one on Black Friday.

"It must be a family thing," Sarah said. "To get the sales, people go early and they turn Christmas shopping into a chore. It's just not fun."

-- Amy Joyce

The Mall at Prince Georges

Darlene Glass of Adelphi is a dedicated day-after-Thanksgiving shopper and arrived at the mall at 7:15 a.m., at the tail end of the first wave of shoppers.

In less time than it takes to roast a turkey, she hit six stores -- some twice -- and added to her stockpile of more than 22 gifts. By 10 a.m., she had two more stops, Linens 'n Things and Circuit City, before she could call it quits -- for the year.

"I don't shop in December," Glass said. "People are too mean."

Emmett Jones, 60, a retired D.C. police officer, has stormed the storefronts every year for the past 10 years, despite once nearly getting trampled waiting to get into a Target in Alexandria.

"It made me feel the female of the species is the strongest when it comes to bargains," said Jones, who spent 22 years with the Metropolitan Police Department.

At 5 a.m. yesterday, the line outside the Wal-Mart in Clinton was more orderly, thanks to a perimeter set up by Prince George's County police.

"They did a wonderful job," he said. "People couldn't rush the store."

-- Annys Shin