Long lines form at checkout counters as retail projections appear accurate

This photo at Prime Outlets — Gaffney on Friday shows some of the 3,749 cars that had parked at the mall by 1 p.m.

Unlike shoppers, retailers love long lines at the checkout aisle. And there were plenty of those long lines at area retailers Friday, the traditional start of the holiday shopping season.

A predawn crowd gathered outside Tommy Hilfiger’s at Prime Outlets — Gaffney, waiting to snap up bargains when the popular clothing store opened at 4:30 a.m. A promotion - 40 percent off items storewide - attracted the crowd, said Patricia Byrd, the mall’s marketing manager.

Gaffney resident Andy Wiseman carries large bags of Christmas presents for his wife Friday while shopping at Prime Outlets — Gaffney. “One of the shoppers who was there when the store opened stayed until 6 a.m. shopping,” Byrd said. “(The shopper) left with plenty of bags.”

That scene was repeated at other mall shops. Byrd reported that sales were up 4 percent on Friday from the same time a year ago.

“Overall, merchants are very pleased with the traffic and are reporting an increase in sales,” she said.

For many county residents, shopping is the way they spend the day after Thanksgiving - known as Black Friday by merchants because it’s the day they go from “red ink” into “the black.”

There were early risers as well at the Gaffney Wal-Mart Supercenter.

“We had a lot of people in the store early,” said store manager Jason Edwards.

Toys of all types were the hottest-selling items, he said.

At Belk at the Peachtree Marketplace, fleece sweaters, jewelry and memory foam pillows were on most shopping lists.

“(Shoppers) started swarming about 5:30 a.m.,” store manager Jim Tyler said. “The traffic was good. We are running a little ahead of last year.”

Friday’s cool temperatures were welcomed by Tyler.

“When it’s cold like this, people buy clothes, especially sweaters,” he said.

The National Retail Association expects this holiday season to be a merry one for retailers. The organization predicts sales should increase about 4 to 5 percent over last year. The average shopper is expected to spend about $700 on Christmas gifts this year, that’s up about $30 from Christmas 2003.