Published: November 28, 2008 09:44 pm      

Bargains draw big crowds

BLUEFIELD — Local shoppers woke early and fought fatigue as they sought out deep discounts and sales during the first day of the Christmas shopping season.

Crowds roamed area stores and malls Friday in search of sales and items in high demand. For many, Christmas 2008 started well before dawn.

“We’ve been up since 3 o’clock,” 19-year-old Sarah Addir of Iaeger said while she rested with her mother and sister at the Mercer Mall. “We were at Goody’s at 4 a.m. and at Wal-Mart at 5 (a.m.).”

“This is the first time I’ve been up this early and shopped,” added Vickie Addir, 47, of Iaeger. “I had the day off and we decided to do something different this year.”

Getting up early was worthwhile, she said.

“We’ve found a lot of great deals,” Vickie Addir added.

Santa Claus roamed the mall as foot traffic stayed steady and tired shoppers filled every chair and several ledges along store windows. A good portion of the crowd consisted of visitors who came to the region for Thanksgiving.

“Well, I’ve actually been here only 30 minutes,” Barbara Burr of Alabama said as she sat down on the mall’s Center Court stage; she was visiting her son, a student at Concord University in Athens. “I’ve seen some good sales. Everybody has been friendly and in a good mood and helpful. It’s been a good atmosphere.”

One Mercer County man sitting along a ledge said he had seen plenty of bargains.

“I think so. I’m not much of a shopper,” said Ron Brookman, 50, of Princeton. “It looks like it’s a very large crowd. Whether or not they’re buying anything remains to be seen. A lot of people are scared of losing their jobs. They’re afraid to spend that extra buck unless they get a good value for it.”

Parents with small children inspected displays while other people carrying loaded shopping bags sought places to sit. Not everyone was shopping, but there were people who had arrived with shoppers.

“We’re just here for moral support,” said Jeff Platt, 29, who was visiting from Hickory, NC. “There seems to be plenty of deals, and they have stuff marked down here pretty good.”

“There seems to be more people here than usual,” added James Carosi, 57, of Sandlick.

— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com