Published: December 03, 2008 05:32 pm      

Local shoppers are cool, patient — but always on the prowl for a good bargain

When I visit Mom and Dad for Thanksgiving, I have no intentions of going anywhere the day after, better known as Black Friday. I always envision packed stores, stressed out shoppers and games of dodge’em in the parking lots. My sister Karen and her family were visiting, too, so I shouldn’t have been surprised to see that my more adventurous little sister’s SUV was gone when I went out to get the newspaper.

She quickly returned with her spoils — presents for my nephews — which were nabbed at bargain prices. I have to admit that she got some great deals. When I asked her about the crowds, she said she didn’t have any trouble with her fellow shoppers or the traffic; of course, she’s from Charlotte. I don’t think rush hour on Princeton’s Stafford Drive would phase her at all.

I had to get back to work that Friday afternoon, so I wasn’t surprised when I found myself doing a person-on-the-street story about Black Friday. Like it or not, I thought about the “queue rage” I had read about that morning. I’ve heard of people who get upset when somebody tries to cut in line, but this was a new extreme. It happened in England, but America had the case of a store worker who was trampled to death by impatient shoppers. Both sides of the Atlantic were experiencing incidents started when people desperate for a bargain or frustrated by prices or long waits vented their rage.

However, I’m glad to report that this “queue rage” phenomena hasn’t reached this region. When I visited the Mercer Mall on that first day of the Christmas shopping season, I didn’t see any haste or long lines anywhere. The local parking lots were full and there plenty of shoppers, but I didn’t see any signs that Christmas 2008 was going to be significantly different from past Christmas seasons.

Several of the people I spoke with that Black Friday said that everyone seemed to be laid back and calm. I saw shoppers carrying loaded bags or browsing the stores. Except for more sales and discount signs than usual, I didn’t see anything startling about this particular start of the shopping season. The crowds were just as heavy as the other Black Fridays I’ve covered.

There was evidence of fatigue. Men and women were occupying every bench and chair available, and I saw more than one person dump their loaded shopping bags as they sat down. I even saw two women having an impromptu picnic on the floor near the food court. After a few walks up and down the mall, I felt like finding a spot on the floor myself.

While we’re officially in a recession, I didn’t see any panic on Black Friday. Nobody was fighting, but I could say the shoppers seemed a little more watchful in some cases. They were scanning the store windows and the displays like a hunter watching for movement in the woods.

Bargain hunters are even more intent about saving a few dollars and finding a special gift at a good price. Such hunters are prowling every Christmas, but tight times are making them even keener to score a gift while paying less.

Like hunters stalking deer, they are scanning their forest — advertisements and sales fliers — and prowling the stores, waiting for their opportunities. Experienced deer hunters use patience and technique to bag a trophy buck, not machine guns and fire bombs. Bargain hunters in this region are being just as patient; they are not resorting to wild actions such as jumping in front of other people or starting a stampede when a store opens.

If this calm stays in force during this shopping season, we should come out of it okay.

I’m spending as much as I can locally so I can help the area’s economy, and I turn to the Internet only when the item I’m looking for can’t be found or ordered locally. There’s just no reason to go into a panic.

Staying cool is the key to surviving this season.

Local stores appear to be well stocked, so there’s no reason to freak out if a favored gift isn’t immediately available. Just be patient, stay focused and beware of waiting until the last minute.

Remember that Christmas is known for the joy it inspires, not the rage.

Greg Jordan is a reporter for the Daily Telegraph. Contact him at gjordan@bdtonline.com.