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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 26, 2005 From left to right on cell phones in the foreground; JoAnn (who didn�t want her last name used), of Phoenix; Stephanie King, of Medford; and Pamela Burgess, of Grants Pass, pass the time while queued up Friday morning at Circuit City in Medford. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Shop till you drop Traditional Black Friday not dampened by weather It was more than two hours before sunrise on the busiest shopping day of the year, and a major electronics retailer in Medford had already sold out of many of its big items. The doors weren’t even open yet. Circuit City opened at 5 a.m. Friday, and Robert Connolly, operations manager, said many computer laptops and desktops as well as liquid crystal display televisions were the hot ticket. "Those were what we call voucher items," said Connolly. He said staff members cruised the pre-dawn line to see who was interested in the limited-quantity items. "Before we opened we were out of voucher items," he said. There were plenty of other electronics in demand. Pamela Burgess of Grants Pass stood in one of several long lines inside Circuit City around 8 a.m. to pick up a pair of speakers for a Sony PlayStation Portable. She wants to send the speakers to her son, Michael Burgess, who is stationed with the Army in Tal Afar, Iraq. Advertisement She had reserved the speakers, on sale for $38.99, a few hours earlier online, and drove to Medford in the hope of picking them up. Burgess killed some time in line by making a quick cell phone call home to her husband. "I was just letting him know he owes me," she said. Many shoppers, some happy, some not so, endured early morning crowds and rain for the opportunity to snatch up holiday gifts at bargain prices. It was a pattern repeated nationwide. The day after Thanksgiving is called "Black Friday" because, as one of the busiest shopping days of the year, it’s when many retailers move out of the red and into the black, becoming profitable in their accounting ledgers. Fred Meyer, Wal-Mart, JCPenney and Mervyn’s were among stores that opened at 5 a.m., and Target, Sears and Big R among those that opened at 6, many with five- and six-hour sales. But lines form hours before for what is for many an annual shopping ritual to score limited quantities of sale items. Marianne Robison is among those who’s made a tradition out of Black Friday shopping. "We started at Fred Meyer with free coffee and doughnuts," said Robison, of Medford. Then she came to Circuit City for electronics. "I was hoping to get the Cinderella DVD, but they’re out," she said. So she picked up a telephone for her home and a music CD. Despite speculation that high energy costs, war in Iraq and natural disasters could dampen the holiday spirit this year, Robison said it’s just the opposite for her. "If anything, maybe it’s more of a giving spirit," she said. "Just thinking of others." Ray Robison, Marianne’s husband, said their gift-giving has a theme. "We’re mostly buying media," adding that he was looking at upgrading to a flat-screen computer monitor for his video production business. Nathan McCoy, visiting family in Medford from Seattle, Wash., was looking at the LCD televisions. "I’m looking for an LCD or a plasma, I don’t know which one," he said. McCoy said he was waiting for his wife, shopping nearby at Sears, and had no intention of actually purchasing something on Black Friday. "I don’t have the right sort of tolerance for lines," he said, nodding toward the slow-moving queues nearly out the door. Others didn’t like braving the weather. Melissa Braaten of Central Point stood in line at Circuit City for 35 minutes in the rain before throwing in the towel and heading to the Rogue Valley Mall. Still, she said she would consider another attempt later in the day. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail SHOP TILL YOU DROP ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Student Loans Online Pharmacy tcg student loan consolidation Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Salvia Divinorum Advertisement s