Lines, brisk air greet start of holiday shopping season

For the third year in a row, Brian and Lowen Rhodes of Seymour were among the first few customers in line at Staples to take advantage of day-after Thanksgiving sales, commonly known as Black Friday.

"It's getting to be (a tradition)," Brian said.

But the real reason they lined up at 3 a.m.?

"There is always a limit on the laptops," he said.

Brian was anxious to buy a new HP laptop while Lowen was looking for a new wireless keyboard. They said they enjoy coming to Staples because other stores they've been to in the past had people begin lining up on Thanksgiving Day. However, they plan on making a few other stops on the big shopping day.

"I'm crazy; I may even go to the mall in Greenwood," Brian said.

Brian wasn't the only one hoping to buy an HP laptop. Carrie Owens of North Vernon lined up at 3:45 a.m. for the same item.

"It's for my husband, for work and for his birthday," Owens said. "He better cherish it."

Usually starting out at Wal-Mart, this is her fifth year for getting up early to take advantage of the day-after Thanksgiving sales.

Owens made the best of her early morning wait by making friends with Connie Philpot, Brownstown. She also was waiting for the HP laptop.

"It's for my daughter; she's going to college," Philpot said.

Staples employees went outside and began handing out tickets for popular items at 5:30 a.m. Owens and Philpot were one of the lucky 12 to get a ticket for the laptop.

"We are going to get what we want and it was worth it," Philpot said.

With this being her first taste of Black Friday shopping, Philpot said she's going home after she gets the laptop.

Owens, however, said she had several other deals to catch before heading home.

Owens and Philpot saved $300 on an HP laptop originally priced at $699.

Krystin Griffin, manager of Staples, said the laptop was the only thing they were out of before doors opened at 6 a.m.

"GPS and digital picture frames are the big sellers this year," she said as she passed out tickets for those items to customers waiting in line.

A perk for customers waiting in the line that wrapped halfway around Staples was the free doughnuts and coffee provided by Heartbeat Café on Seymour's west side.

"It's a complimentary thing to thank the customers for waiting in line," Griffin said.

Staples' day-after Thanksgiving sales began at 6 a.m. and ended at 10 a.m. Griffin said they will continue to provide sales throughout the weekend.

Staples wasn't the only store to have people waiting in line outside. JCPenney had nearly 100 people lined up when its doors opened at 4 a.m.

Tina Gills, store manager, was handing out free snow globes that included a bonus coupon for Saturday to customers who arrived early Friday morning.

She said business had been steady throughout the morning.

"We had a nice surge; we let about 100 people in. That's a lot for that time of day," she said. "We get a surge at the register and we wanted to make sure we were well-staffed."

Marcus Sewell, Seymour, lugged around several items, including a box of luggage for his mother, Linda Sewell, while shopping in JCPenney this morning.

"I roped him into this," she said. "I got him to carry everything."

"And I get breakfast for this," he added as she shopped for Christmas sweatshirts.

With arms also loaded, Susan Lawson, Brownstown, shopped for door buster deals with her sister, Rachel Hauer, Vallonia.

They began their day at 5 a.m. at JCPenney.

"This is the first time I got up with them," Lawson said of her sister and mother. "Every year I think I'm going to get up and meet them and I end up turning the alarm off."

The sisters said they usually help each other find deals while out shopping together.

Lawson and Hauer planned to stop at Wal-Mart and a mall before the day was over.

Bea Hercamp, Seymour, braved the masses of people at Wal-Mart to buy a shop-vac.

"Wal-Mart was a mess," she said of all the people packed into the store. "I've never seen Wal-Mart like that."

Hercamp spent the morning shopping with her sister and her niece. She said they got good deals on a variety of clothes while shopping in JCPenney.

"We do this every year. We start out in Seymour and end up in Greenwood," she said.

Gills said this time of the year the store offers gift items that it usually doesn't carry, such as pots and pans and other gift-giving ideas.

Salon supervisor at JCPenney, Andrea Bowles, added there are salon gift sets for 40 percent off and CHI tools 20 percent off with styling products buy one and get one half off.

She added the salon offers a variety of items that would make good stocking stuffers.

JCPenney's holiday door buster sales end at 1 p.m. today.