Area shoppers make lists, look for deals

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Bonnie Merricks of Danville held off on getting a flat-screen TV all year because of a down economy.

Finally, shortly after 4 a.m. on Black Friday morning, she bought a Sylvania 37-inch LCD high-definition TV for $399 at Sears.

Merricks cut back on holiday spending this year. She spent less on her son who is serving in Afghanistan, but she sent him a care package. Yet, spending less doesn’t necessarily mean getting less.

“You have to look for a deal,” Merricks said.

Merricks fits the profile of the majority of surveyed consumers who said they would cut back on spending during the holidays because of economic impact, according to the National Retail Federation. The retail trade association also found that consumers plan to spend an average of $683 for holiday shopping — a 3.2 percent drop from last year’s average.

Making a list, looking for deals

Residents of the Dan River Region fine-tuned their shopping tactics this year by planning ahead, keeping to a budget, sticking to sales and avoiding impulse purchases.

Most consumers knew what they wanted before arriving at a store. Many early morning customers in Danville grabbed their items then rushed to get out of their first stops to take advantage of doorbusters at other stores.

Lorraine Foster, of Pelham, N.C., saved up all year to finally buy a flat-screen TV at Sears. She waited until the holiday season when she knew there would be sales to stretch her money.

Foster started working two jobs last year because of the recession.

Spending less for Donna Yeatts of Danville meant shopping overnight. With ads in hand, she started waiting in line at Toys R Us at 11 p.m. Thursday to get a Nintendo DSI bundle pack and a Zhu Zhu pet hamster.

While Yeatts waited in line at Sears, she also assembled a team of friends stationed at Target and Walmart to buy each other the doorbusters they wanted.

“The buddy system — it works,” Yeatts said.

She allowed herself one splurge: an infrared gas grill marked down by $170 at Sears.

Felicia Sams, of South Boston, had to stick to a set budget this year.

“If it don’t say ‘sale,’ I don’t get it,” Sams said.

She started shopping bargains at 11 p.m. at Toys R Us, then waited on Walmart’s floor from 2 to 5 a.m. to get a Nintendo DS, Playstation 3 and a global positioning system.

It was the first time she ever shopped for Black Friday. After feeling so tired from not sleeping, it might be her last.

Sherrell Venable, of South Boston, made sure to come into town for Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, where she bought gift-wrap, toys and a pet carrier for her dog’s Christmas present. She used coupons at Toys R Us.

She’s a regular Black Friday shopper but tried not to use credit cards this year to avoid overspending.

Venable found more and better deals this year than on past Black Fridays. She started at Walmart at 3:50 a.m. and ran to get a global positioning system.

“We ran through there like we were on Supermarket Sweep,” she said and laughed.

Overall, she maintains that Black Friday has the best deals of the season and her day was a success. She admits the crowds are a major downside.

“The early bird gets the worm,” Venable said. “It seems like I got more stuff for less.”

Keeping traditions

Not everyone changed shopping habits. Some locals maintained their shopping traditions.

Maureen Johnson, of Danville, wasn’t affected by the economy and kept the same budget as past years. She enjoys early shopping on Black Friday as one of the few ways to spend alone time with her daughter without kids or hubbies.

Sheri Harris, of Danville, camped out overnight in front of the Sears entrance to get dibs on a washer-dryer pair marked 55 percent off.

“We do this every year for fun,” Harris said. “We’re making all kinds of new friends.”

Not all customers got their must-have items. Limited inventory on Black Friday meant some customers went home empty handed.

Brandon Fowlkes, a 16-year-old of Dry Fork, started his day at Walmart at 3:15 a.m. but missed out on getting a laptop or Nintendo DS.

Brandon then walked to meet his aunt, Bonnie Merricks, at the mall, but didn’t find anything there. He almost got a laptop at K-mart, but another customer jumped in front of him and got the ticket, he said.