A mild Black Friday after Thursday night madness
On the Grand Strand and Pee Dee, Black Friday 2012 didn't look quite the same as it has in past years.
There were still plenty of holiday shoppers, but if you wanted to find the usual Black Friday craziness, you had to look for it Thursday night.
That's when shoppers lined up around the building an Horry County Target (http://www.target.com/) store, waiting for hours for the doors to open.
Then, at 9 p.m., it was the onslaught, as shoppers rushed in to capture the best bargains.
Eight hours later, at 5 a.m., when you might normally see wall to wall people on a Black Friday, the check-out lines were non-existent.
"We're a lot quieter today," said Target floor manager Stephanie Mann. "We have a steady flow of people right now, but it's not that crazy early morning that we're used to because we did open earlier. We had the rush earlier."
This is one Black Friday when those who were patient, willing to hold off until after the madness let up, were rewarded.
"We waited until the lines kind of died down and came in and actually we've still been able to get very good prices, so it worked out well," said Emily White of Greeleyville.
While shoppers who got an early start Thursday night had to battle some tough crowds, experienced shoppers didn't seem to mind.
"It was terrible, but that's OK. I enjoyed it," said Barbara Vickrey of Oak Island, NC. "Did it last year, do it this year, do it again next year."
Black Friday shopping is mostly about trying to get the best bargains; the thrill of the hunt.
"I think it's a little bit of excitement, coming out at night, trying to get the best deals that you can, and seeing the crowds of people," said White. "You see a lot of people that you normally wouldn't see going shopping during the day."
With so many stores opening their doors Thanksgiving night, dedicated shoppers got a lot done before the sun came up.
Doty Cantey of Murrells Inlet hit a number of retail stores before arriving at the Target store around 6 a.m. "Eight or nine, maybe ten. This is our last stop actually, I think," Cantey said.
Target store managers say the big sellers so far include toys, electronics and e-readers. The first person in line at Target Thursday night went home with a door-buster deal on a 50-inch TV.
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