Black Friday Deals Excite Shoppers

Christmas list. Check.

Shopping buddy. Check.

Black Friday T-shirt. Check.

Flocking to West Des Moines’ Jordan Creek Town Center is an annual ritual for Dawn Parker and Jenny Reitano of Grimes. By 12:30 a.m. on Black Friday, Parker had exited Younkers with a major item crossed off her list.

“I got a Keurig Coffee Maker,” she said, while sporting a Black Friday” T-shirt. “It was a door-buster – 45 percent off.”

Parker spent $120 on the gift for her mom and saved $96.75. Thousands of shoppers in West Des Moines and elsewhere sought deals as the mall and other retailers opened at midnight for Black Friday, which marks the beginning of Christmas shopping season.

Shoppers searched for deals on clothing, electronics and toys during the highly anticipated Black Friday. This year, retailers like Wal-Mart offered Black Thursday deals and successfully lured shoppers to stores at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

Crowded mall entrances

Just before Jordan Creek opened at midnight, excited and frenzied crowds packed mall entrances. Cars dashed through swamped parking lots. Cheers and laughter rang out as the doors opened at 12:02 a.m. at the Barnes and Noble Booksellers entrance on the west side of the mall.

At 11:30 p.m., Rachel Smith, 21, and Curtis Sporleder, 22, of Creston, met while standing in line. They shared a common goal – to get the best deal.

Smith, an avid Black Friday shopper, was on the hunt for goodies from Victoria’s Secret and purses and shoes from Younkers.

“I’m looking for some good deals on those,” Smith said. “The ads looked pretty promising.”

Sporleder said most of his Christmas shopping is done, but he planned on looking for something for his dad at Scheels.

“I’ve never done this Black Friday stuff,” said Sporleder, who got in line at 11:17 p.m. “I’ve heard crazy stories about Black Friday like lots of people fighting over a certain object.”

Sheron Crenshaw stood nearby with her two granddaughters, Katerina Alexandropoulos, 17, and  Creshonna Crenshaw, 14, who were visiting from St. Louis.

“It’s so exciting looking at all the people,” said Sheron Crenshaw, who planned to buy her son a robe. “It’s really exciting.”

Long lines at electronics store

The lure of a PS3 for $199 at Best Buy was enough to bring Nick Murphy, his girlfriend and family members, all from West Des Moines, out into the cool night for video game consoles.

They waited in line more than an hour and watched closely as store employees allowed only 10 people into the store at a time.

“160 gig. Two games. One controller,” Murphy said, about the coveted PS3. “They said there were a dozen on the ad, but somebody walked by me and said they had like 50. He gave me some hope.”

Let the shopping commence

More than 152 million people plan to shop this weekend, according to research by the National Retail Federation. That figure is up 10 percent from 138 million who planned to shop Black Friday last year.

Parker and Reitano, the shopping duo from Grimes, had a long night planned. Parker sorted through ads and compared prices online. She mapped out the Black Friday shopping itinerary a month ago, she said.

“We do this every year,” said Reitano who has only missed Black Friday once in the last five years because she had just given birth. “I just like to be in the crush of the crazy crowds.”

After shopping at Children’s Place, Scheels and Game Stop, Parker’s and Reitano's schedule  included a 4 a.m. stop at Sears at Merle Hay Mall and a 6 a.m. trek to Big Lots and Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store.

“I’m paying closer attention to the bargains, and I’m only going after certain things that I want,” Parker said.

Black Friday deal? Check.