The appeal of $9 vacuums, $180 laptops and other doorbuster deals drew crowds to the busy doors of Norman retailers this Black Friday.
Debbie Hannah, from Wayne, left her house at 2 a.m. to drive to Norman and shop. She said she started at CVS Pharmacy, then went to Sears at 4 a.m.
"We drove through the Wal-Mart parking lot and said 'no,' Hannah said, commenting on the traffic in the store's parking lot. By 5 a.m., she was tired of the sea of people and was waiting until the shoppers thinned before buying iTunes gift cards from Target.
Josh Bookout, a Norman college student, set his alarm early to get to Wal-Mart as a favor to his cousin, who needed help obtaining a present for his wife. Since he was already up and going, Bookout decided to shop the doorbusters at the Sooner Mall.
Moore High School students Candice Banetten, Kinsey Neece and Ashley Nichols also got an early start to their morning, hitting Sears at 4 a.m. and shopping the other stores in Sooner Mall that opened their doors early.
The three girls were first-time Black Friday shoppers; they decided to join in the chaos of the day just to see what the hype was about. They found good deals while, shopping, though, getting lotions for the mothers and other items.
As for next year, the girls were skeptical about whether the prices were worth the sacrifice of sleep.
"I'll probably get up early, but not as early as I did this year," Banetten said.
The tenacity of these early morning shoppers paled in comparison to the overnight campers at Norman's Best Buy. Some of the leaders in the line said they had arrived at 3:30 p.m. Thursday to secure their purchase of a laptop on sale.
Best Buy manager Kelly Windom said when she arrived the line was wrapped around the building to the street with customers waiting for appliance deals. She said the laptops sold in high numbers, along with computer packages, refrigerators and laundry appliances.
She also said the store was busier this year than last year, which she commented was a good sign for the store.
Local news
Black Friday deals draw crowds
- Local news
-
-
Seed exchange planned
Every day brings spring a day closer, meaning it’s time to start thinking about and planting spring vegetable and flower gardens....
-
Newest library branch expected to open by month’s end
The city of Oklahoma City is currently working with equipment manufacturers to remedy last-minute obstacles that are keeping Pioneer Library System’s 10th branch closed to the public....
-
TEAM having positive results
The Citizens Public Safety Oversight Committee elected Don Holyfield as the new chair and approved the annual report at its monthly meeting Thursday....
-
Union members protest GCI at new OU dorm site
Members of Carpenters Local Union No. 329 conducted a protest Thursday morning in front of the construction site of a new dormitory on the University of Oklahoma campus....
-
OK-FIRE workshop coming to Norman
A full-day OK-FIRE computer training workshop will be March 16 at the National Weather Center in Norman. Dr. J.D. Carlson, OSU fire meteorologist and OK-FIRE program director, will direct the workshop. Training will begin at 9:30 a.m. and ...
-
Wheelock receives Girl Scouts award
Girl Scouts-Western Oklahoma presented Brenda Wheelock of Norman with the Frances Hesselbein Award at the organization’s recent annual meeting. The award is named for a woman who changed Girl Scouts of the United States of America when ...
-
Weed control is important in lawns
Did your lawn fall under attack from weeds last year? Do you want to get a head start on controlling them this year? Or maybe you are thinking about doing your own lawn care instead of hiring out? It seems that weed control is on ...
-
IRS launches outreach campaign to help workers
The Internal Revenue Service and community partners nationwide launched an annual outreach campaign this week. The campaign is aimed at helping millions of Americans who earned $49,078 or less take advantage of the Earned Income Tax ...
-
Men face counts including bribery
The Multi-County Grand Jury handed up indictments today against two former Blanchard city administrators. Former Blanchard city manager Bill D. Edwards and former police chief Tom M. Linn were indicted on two felony counts, including ...
-
Norman named best school district
Oklahoma Technology Association named Norman Public Schools as Best District of The Year for the 2011-2012 school year Wednesday morning at its annual conference in the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City....
- More Local news Headlines
-
Seed exchange planned
