Retailers expected an as-good/better 2009 compared to 2008.
TRAVERSE CITY -- There's no keeping a few early birds from finding a great deal on this Black Friday. Hundreds of people lined up at the Target store in Traverse City well before their 5 a.m. opening.
Cassidy Taylor camped out in front of the store since 11:30 p.m. Thursday to be third in line, but not for a big ticket item.
"I came just for a 3-dollar coffee maker," Taylor said. "I'm in and out in five minutes. That's all I want."
While 5 a.m. is early for many, for some shoppers, it was already half the day done.
"We've already been to J.C. Penny's and got free snowglobes," said Julie Hiler of Gaylord. "We were at Old Navy at 3 a.m. as well," added her shopping partner Diana Annibli.
Black Friday is the day retailers kick start the holiday shopping season and get their budgets in black. For shoppers, it's all about putting a plan in place and knowing what they're looking for. The hot items include everything from clothing to deeply discounted electronics.
"I need some clothes for the boy, $3 shirts, $6 pants, gotta get those, he's growing out of them," said Alisia Richards.
With Black Friday being one of the busiest shopping days of the year, stores are preparing not only by slashing prices, but also adding staff.
"We already did, we started in October and we added 40 to 50 people for the holidays," said Rick Bontekoe, general manager of the Target store in Traverse City.
According to the Michigan Retail Association, nearly two-thirds of retailers expect sales for the season to be as good or better than 2008.
