Sonoma County shoppers pack stores for Black Friday deals

Josh Leard didn’t want to risk missing out on the $197 Hewlett-Packard laptop on sale Friday at Best Buy, so he did what any reasonable 22-year-old would.

He and a friend spent 19 hours waiting in line outside the store.

From 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day until the store opened at 5 a.m. Friday, he and 27-year-old Danny Anglen camped outside Best Buy to make sure they scored the best deals.

“It’s worth it to save $200, $300,” Leard said.

Instead of a home-cooked turkey dinner, the pair, who work together at Infineon Raceway, spent their Thanksgiving drinking coffee, eating nachos from 7-Eleven and socializing with other bargain-hunters at the head of what became, by all accounts, the longest line at any retail store in Sonoma County.

By 4:30 a.m., more than 1,000 people waited in a line that stretched around Best Buy and continued behind the adjoining OfficeMax, Sports Authority and Target.

“It looks pretty good for the economy, I’ll tell you that,” said shopper Dave Poland of Rohnert Park, who marveled at the mass of humanity shuffling into the store.

Despite the weak economy, big retailers succeeded Friday in generating big crowds and plenty of excitement for the traditional start of the holiday shopping season.

“It’s a family event,” said Jason Shiozaki, manager of the electronics superstore on Santa Rosa Avenue. “Dad gets a TV, mom gets a Flip video recorder and kids get music and DVDs.”

Laptops and flat-screen televisions were the must-have items for many customers this year, Shiozaki said. Fierce competition has pushed down the prices on mid-sized flat-screen TVs so far that the average consumer is now finding them affordable, he said.

Many laptop shoppers quickly got bogged down in a long line that snaked throughout the store, but others breezed through.

Poland, an attorney and musician, was one of the first to emerge from Best Buy after its 5 a.m. opening. He avoided the mad dash for the electronics and instead headed to the music department, where he loaded up on guitar strings selling for less than $2.

“I saved like $100,” said Poland as he strode across the dark parking lot in his shorts and slippers.

Few major problems were reported, through some tempers flared.

Police were called to clear the street of gawkers who gathered in front of Best Buy around 5 a.m., but shoppers seemed capable of protecting their turf. When some latecomers drifted toward the front door near opening time, they were quickly put in their place.

“Back of the line’s that way, sister,” yelled one man, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder.

Some stores managed their crowds better than others. Target on Santa Rosa Avenue was busy but smooth, whereas Toys “R” Us, which opened at midnight, was a nightmare, said Sonoma State University student Vanessa Hernandez.

“People were cutting and yelling and cussing. It was chaotic. There was no organization,” Hernandez said.

By the time she and her two brothers from Sacramento emerged from Target on Santa Rosa Avenue around 5:30 a.m., their carts were piled high with all kinds of electronics, including a flat-screen television, coffee maker and point-and-shoot camera.

“I wasn’t even going to get anything,” said Joe Ibarra, 29.

Retailers in Sonoma County opened earlier than ever for this year’s annual shopping spree known as Black Friday. Stores like Old Navy for the first time this year joined the growing ranks of retailers opening either on Thanksgiving Day or at midnight. In addition to Old Navy, which welcomed shoppers from noon to 7 p.m., Kmart on Cleveland Avenue stayed open all day Thanksgiving.

Midnight openings that were once subdued are now generating sizable crowds.

The parking lot at the Petaluma Village Premium Outlets was nearly full at 11 p.m. when Mark Dillard drove up to start shopping with his family at midnight, he said. Competition for parking spaces was so fierce that drivers followed him as he walked back to his car jockeying to get his spot, he said.

“It was comical,” he said.

The Disney Store and Zumiez clothing store opened at midnight in the Santa Rosa Plaza for the first time. The mall, which handed out warm Nestle Toll House cookies to shoppers, saw a good turnout.

“We’re pleased with the crowds,” said Kim Hall, the mall’s marketing manager.

The Disney Store had 35 people waiting in line by midnight, and rang up 129 transactions by 3 a.m., Hall said.

Business at Zumiez was more modest. Store manager Jessie Roboli, sporting a winter hat and pink ski goggles, said she had 32 sales by 5 a.m., most from teens 15 to 18 years old. The store will almost certainly continue opening early in future years, she said.

“It was so worth it,” she said.

Windsor High senior Rebekah Gillis, 17 and her best friend Sandra Carillo, 16, stayed up most of the night watching “That ‘70s Show” and texting friends before waking at 3:30 a.m, grabbing a Starbucks and heading to the plaza for its 5 a.m. opening.

By 8 a.m., Gillis was ready for a rest, taking a seat as she rode the escalator surrounded by bags of clothes from retailers like Buckle and Forever 21.

“It’s really not the sales,” Gillis said. “It’s more the thrill of waking up and going shopping at four in the morning.”

She said she had racked up $400 on her parents’ check card, an expense she said was justified by senior pictures coming up and the fact that she didn’t spend much on back-to-school shopping this year.

“They sent my brother to Harvard, so I can have $400,” Gillis said.

Most shoppers seemed unfazed by the state of the economy, which by all accounts has improved but continues to struggle with high unemployment and foreclosures.

Sebastopol photographer Bobbie Lance said she and her husband have pulled back sharply on their spending.

“We’re thinking really hard before making any purchases,” she said.

And yet Lance strolled out of the Apple store carrying a $1,700 iMac computer for her husband, a computer programmer.

“He didn’t want to wait anymore,” she said.