Utah bargain hunters drop in for deals

Offer deep discounts, and even in a recession they will come.

The nation's retailers are slashing prices on everything from toys to TVs and are extending their hours in hopes of getting consumers to buy amid the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.

To nab the deepest discounts on Black Friday, shoppers waited hours in the cold, using heavy coats, sleeping bags and tents to cope with the chilly temperatures. Black Friday gets its name because it traditionally was the day when huge crowds would push retailers into "the black," or profitability.

While the Black Friday sales will be over today, the good deals aren't expected to be. Retailers are planning on discounting heavily and remaining open extra

hours throughout the Thanksgiving weekend and through Christmas because it's the only way to keep recession-weary consumers spending.

Toys "R" Us opened five hours earlier on Black Friday this year, at 12:01 a.m. At the retailer's Layton store, a line of more than 1,000 shoppers had formed before the store opened, and, like many others, remained crowded throughout the day. Many shoppers were after one of the robotic toy hamsters called Zhu Zhu Pets, one of the hottest toys of the season that's in short supply.

Lori Brophy of Plain City waited four hours to score one of the pets. Jamie Eddy of Clinton waited six hours for hers. "At least I'm getting one," she said with a smile.

Toys R Us CEO Gerald Storch said Friday

that on average about 1,000 were in line for the midnight opening nationwide. Other retail outlets in Utah that opened at 12:01 a.m. include South Towne Center in Sandy and Tanger Outlet Mall in Park City. Fashion Place in Murray opened three hours earlier -- at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

Like other malls, the Tanger Outlet was jam-packed right after opening. Traffic at one point was backed up on Interstate 80 at Kimball Junction and both parking lots were totally full.

To cope with the large crowds, some stores had to limit the number of shoppers in the store at any given time to help manage crowds. At Toys R Us store in West Valley City, for example, shoppers were still in a line trying to get in an hour after opening.

Like many shoppers, Christina Atkinson of Roy hit multiple outlets in search of discounted gifts. "The good news is that there are so many really good sales this year," she said.

The big crowds in Utah and other parts of the country were good news, although final sales figures will take time to tally.

"So far, we are seeing that consumers are willing to spend a little more than what was on their intended list," said Marshal Cohen, chief retail industry analyst at NPD Group Inc. "This is a big gift for retailers. It was missing from the equation last year."

Many retailers this year opted to hand out tickets to the first shoppers in line shortly before opening so shoppers knew before they got into the store if they were getting a sought-after item, giving them less of a reason to behave badly, run or even trampling other shoppers. Last year, an out-of-control crowd crashed into a New York Walmart store, trampling one worker to death and injuring several others.

There was some pushing and shoving at some retail outlets in Utah, but no reports of violence.

In Southern California, though, a Walmart store in Upland, about 40 miles east of Los Angeles, closed its doors for several hours before dawn after some Black Friday shoppers began fighting over bargain merchandise. Police helped herd customers into the parking lot around 3 a.m. When the store began allowing customers back in the store around 6 a.m., there were no problems.

Why shop at all on such a busy day?

Many shoppers, trying to spend as little as possible, said camping out for bargains makes good financial sense. Melinda Fults of Kaysville got to the Super Target store in Layton on Thanksgiving night to secure a heavily discounted Nintendo DSi game system, one of the retailer's "doorbusters."

Zhau Qi of Salt Lake City and his friends got to a Best Buy store in Salt Lake City at 6:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving to get deep discounts on a number of items, including a computer monitor and camera, when the store opened at 5 a.m. Friday morning.

"We're here to save money," Qi said.

But like many who shop on Black Friday, Justin Ho of Salt Lake City wasn't only interested in getting a super-low price. Ho, who waited with his friends for more than 10 hours to buy a discounted computer monitor and other items at Best Buy Friday, said there's an element of excitement to being the first people into the store on Black Friday.

"We've never done this before, and it just seemed like a fun thing to do," he said.

The promotional blitz typical for the traditional start of the holiday shopping season has high stakes for retailers who have suffered through a year of sales declines. It's also important for the broader economy, which stands to benefit from any increase in consumer spending.

While Black Friday is always important, the rest of the shopping season accounts for as much as 40 percent of annual sales and profits for many stores.

lesley@sltrib.com

The Associated Press contributed to this story.