Retailers disperse crowds with lure of Thursday sales

The lines for Black Friday were almost non-existent during the typlically-busy, early morning hours Friday, as many people had already take advantage of Thanksgiving Day shopping specials.

Area stores opened their doors early, some at 5 p.m. on Thursday, to avoid the crowding on Black Friday.

Employees at JCPenney said since starting their shift at 1 a.m. Friday, they had seen a good flow of customers, but most had come the night before.

The Walmart parking lot, which in previous years has had customers park as far away as the highway, had more than 100 parking spaces available and no line outside.

The Black Friday deals available at Walmart began at 6 p.m. on Thursday with specials on TVs, games and game consoles, movies, toys and clothes.

One store that stayed with tradition was Pink Peppers, and owner Marianne Dubose said they have customers who look forward to the savings all year long.

“We’ve been steady this morning,” Dubose said. “We’ve always had really good success on Black Friday and open for it every year.”

Dubose opened her store at 8 a.m. with storewide 30 to 10 percent discounts changing throughout the day. At 8:30 a.m., the store had more than 10 customers shopping, even one from as far away as Pinehurst, N.C.