Shoppers wait in line for bargains

On Black Friday, historically the biggest shopping day of the year, consumers in the middle of a deep recession demonstrated that they are still holding tight to their purse strings, only willing to loosen their grips and spend money if there are good deals to be had.

That's in line with early predictions by merchants, many of which cut inventory, hired fewer holiday workers, and began offering discounts on items earlier in the season to draw consumers during a time of tighter credit and high unemployment. The Retailers Association of Massachusetts is predicting a 3 percent drop in retail sales during November and December compared to the same period in 2008, which went down 7 percent from the year before. Nationwide, the National Retail Federation is projecting a 1 percent decrease in holiday season sales, which dropped 3.4 percent last year.

Another dismal holiday shopping season is bad news for merchants, which have suffered a year of sales declines and historically get as much as 40 percent of annual sales in November and December. It also has broader implications for the country, which is in the middle of a deep recession and heavily depends on consumer spending.

Early reports from some retailers were encouraging. Toys R Us CEO Gerald Storch said that on average about 1,000 were in line for the midnight opening for each store. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, drew crowds with $298 Hewlett-Packard laptop computers and other doorbuster specials that went on sale at 5 a.m. And Best Buy Inc., the biggest electronics chain, had bigger early-morning crowds than last year, Chief Executive Officer Brian Dunn said.

Locally, some shoppers huddled together this morning outside the Cambridgeside Galleria, patiently waiting in a long line to score deals on laptops, TVs, and video games. Minutes after Best Buy opened its doors at 5 a.m., people crowded into the computer department, where laptops were on sale for as low as $197.

Tommy Darcy, 29, a banquet waiter from South Boston, was there with his mom to buy a $1,000 46-inch Samsung TV ($700 off), a $400 Sony laptop, a printer, a digital camera, and a Madden NFL video game. Except for the TV, his purchases were all presents, although the recession is putting a halt to the Starbucks gift cards he usually buys for coworkers and cousins.

"Sometimes you just buy to buy, and now I figure my smile is enough," he said, breaking into a wide grin.

At Best Buy in Dedham, nearly 1,000 people lined up by 5 am for the doorbuster deals, about 300 more than last year, according to general manager Howard Davenport. The quick sellouts included a $179 HP laptop, $479 Sony laptop, and 40 inch Samsung television for $579.

By 7 a.m., the crowds had thinned and Lisa Buondonno, of Dedham, had a cart full of gifts for her two sons: Xbox video games on sale marked down from $59.99 to $35.99 along with an Insignia digital camera for $50, normally $100.

Buondonno, who usually spends nearly $2,000 on holiday gifts, is planning to cut back to $1000 or $1500 this year because of concerns with the economy. She is hunting more for bargains and paying only with cash to avoid racking up credit card debt. Buondonno is also being more selective. She picked up a Garmin GPS for $100 and then put it back on the shelf after deciding that the two she already had at home were enough.

"I should leave now before I keep buying," she joked. "I really am though trying to save wherever I can. We've told the kids we're just not spending as much this year."

When the doors opened at the Framingham Walmart at 4 a.m., a few people at a time were allowed in from the thousands queued up around the sprawling superstore as a moderate platoon of security guards and local police stood guard. A store employee was trampled to death by Black Friday shoppers last year at a Long Island Walmart store, and Walmart was taking extra precautions this year.

"People were already lined up when I got here at 11 o'clock [Thursday night]," said security guard Jonathan Mudge said. "Like 40 people."

The most popular items at the Framingham Walmart and nearby Shopper's World were laptops and netbooks, digital cameras, flat-panel televisions, and portable GPS units, some shoppers said.

Svetlana and Jim Dezel, a Russian couple living in Framingham were hoping to buy an HP G60 laptop for $298, but they were too late. "We got here at 3:15, and there were already 500 people in line," said Svetlana, 59. "I'm very disappointed."

Nearby, Edward Meireles was also hoping to score a cheap laptop. Instead of fighting the crowds at Walmart, Meireles, 37, of Framingham, arrived outside Office Depot in Shopper's World at 7 p.m. on Thursday night. There he sat for 11 hours until he found himself first in a long line yesterday before dawn. He bought a $199 Acer laptop for his wife, who was at Toys R Us shopping for their young children.

The Framingham Toys R Us opened at midnight and by 5:30 a.m. today, there was a healthy crowd stuffing carriages with Transformers, board games, and dolls.

"Most of my toys were on sale," said Danielle Allain, 21, from Waltham, as she pushed a full cart through the toy store. "We just have to do more with less."

Beyond the doorbuster deals on electronics, some consumers walked away disappointed that the discounts were not better and planned to hold off for better promotions. Toys R Us shopper Laurie Canavan, 36, of Shrewsbury, wasn't having as much luck for her three kids, 10, 7, and 4, who wanted the Rock Band and Guitar Hero video games. Gone are the days when she could fill their stockings with any toys she could grab.

"There's no deals," said Canavan, who's been a loyal Black Friday shopper for nine years. "I swear, all this stuff's the same," she said, pointing to a purple doll in the flier. "I think I bought this for my daughter nine years ago."

But not all shoppers were searching for the largest purchase for the least amount of money. "We didn't come for the deals, we just came for the experience,” said Lucy Jenkins of Milbury. Jenkins stayed in the Marriott with her daughter and friend Thanksgiving night so they could be in Boston to wake up early and shop around the Copley Place and Prudential Center malls.

Lianne Nikitas of Exeter, RI and her 20-year-old daughter Allie also came to Boston more for the 'Black Friday' experience than to catch a hot deal. "Boston is the place to be to shop,” Lianne said. Each year, the two go into Boston or Chicago to get some Christmas shopping done, but mostly enjoy spending time together and people watching.

Bloomberg contributed to this report.