Document text
40 °F 5 Day Forecast Tuesday, December 9, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend November 29, 2003 North Fred Meyer shoppers hit the stacks of socks shortly after the store opened at 5 a.m. Friday. These are people on a mission � partly to have some fun with friends and family, but also to make a serious sport out of saving money. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Charrrrrrge! The squeeze is on as shoppers bathe clock, and each other, to get ready for gift-giving By BUFFY POLLOCK for the Mail Tribune Just hours after Thanksgiving leftovers had been stored and children tucked into bed, fans of the biggest shopping day of the year donned winter coats and running shoes, gulped coffee and headed to stake out local stores before sunrise. At the north Fred Meyer store in Medford, hundreds stood shivering in line before the 5 a.m. opening, while others stared from idling vehicles. A lone Salvation Army ringer clanked his bell in the ears of half-sleeping shoppers as a dozen poker-faced employees glared at their watches. Shoppers hoping for frivolous items like toys and clothes were home snoozing — most stores in the Rogue Valley opened at 6 a.m. or later — but the professional 5 a.m. crowd at Fred Meyer was all about socks. "Charge!" they shouted as a frightened-looking store manager unlocked the automatic doors. Free coffee and donuts waiting inside went unnoticed. Advertisement "Hurry, find the kids’ socks!" yelled one shopper. "And lose the cart. You won’t make it back there with that cart." "You need socks, mom? Better get them today," declared another. First through the door, Central Point resident Carie Hollingsworth said the annual trip was usually a mom-daughter thing for her, as well as a shot at cheap socks. This year, mom was home sick and she didn’t wind up with many socks. "I got here at 3:30 this morning," Hollingsworth said. "It’s a tradition even if you don’t need socks. You’ve just gotta do this." North Fred Meyer food manager Bret DeMartini said the store drew a large crowd for opening early and for offering a unique sale. "It’s really the socks. They’re all half-off. I’ve been with Fred Meyer for 17 years and it happens every year. People come in for the socks. It’s crazy all right," he admitted. Medford shopper Suzanne Messer staked her claim to some 31 pairs of gloves and 31 six-packs of socks for area foster kids. Then she moved on to her own shopping. "I’ve been doing this for seven years � There’s a set pattern you have to follow or you’re wasting time," she pointed out as she loaded her arms with pillows. "You get in and you get out. You have a list of stores mapped out by what time they open and what you need at each one. Usually I’m in and out in 12 minutes. I hit 20 stores in four hours." The mother-daughter team of MaryLou Walton and Jammie Unger of Medford spent enough time in Fred Meyer to grab socks and a few sale items before moving on to the next store. "We did this last year and we said we were never gonna do it again," said Unger. "Of course, we said that the year before, too." "We were up planning our route until 1 this morning," Walton said. No sooner than buggies overflowing with socks had been emptied and paid for, shouts rallying the troops rang out. "Wal-Mart opens in 10 minutes. Let’s move!" insisted an elderly woman pushing her way toward the exit. "Old Navy has dollar scarves," said another. On Biddle Road, a line of 200-plus wrapped around Toys R Us, behind the store and spilling toward the store’s McAndrews Road driveway. At the head of the line, Portland resident Laura Olivas reviewed a detailed agenda. "Only amateurs don’t plan where they’re going before they get here," she said, laughing. The annual shopping day, which she has made for five years with her sisters and friends, is about bonding, said Olivas. But it’s also about the shopping. "You gotta have someone keep your place in line so you can go grab more stuff!" Nearly 20 toy store employees stared, almost in fear, as a manager gave the crowd a once-over and unlocked the door. "We’ll give you 10 seconds to get out of the way," someone yelled. Medford resident Shelly Lubbers coordinated last-minute efforts with daughter Tiara Molina, of Medford, to quickly find a toy tool set and a supersonic double race track on sale. "I’ve been counting down since Wednesday. I got the paper and I heard harps playing," she said, almost giddy. "I would get up at 1 a.m. to save 20 bucks." Buffy Pollock is a free-lance writer living in Medford.E-mail her at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times