Bargain hunters line up to kick off 'Black Friday' sales crush
GRESHAM, Ore. - It used to be that "Black Friday," the annual shopping chaos that kicks off the holiday buying season, actually started early in the morning on Friday after Thanksgiving.
Then stores began to open before dawn. Then it was midnight, Thursday.
Now, Black Friday has crept well into Thursday, with many stores jockeying for shoppers by opening Thanksgiving evening.
The event is known as Black Friday because the holiday sales push traditionally nudged store balance sheets "into the black" for the year.
Doorbuster deals, such as huge price cuts on a limited number of popular electronic items, prompted some people to camp out in line since before Thanksgiving Day in order to land a great deal.
Luis Orozco and Kevin Escamilla were among those camped out in line outside a Best Buy store in Gresham, where a line of tents pitched on the concrete sheltered a fair number of shoppers overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning.
The store was set to open at midnight Thursday.
Orozco said he came prepared for the long wait. "I got a tent, a reclining chair, and I dressed warm," he said, adding that he also brought some blankets.
"It's worth it," Escamilla said. "You're getting a new TV. It's brand new. It's $180 bucks, saving like $300 bucks on the TV. It's worth it."
Others camped at the Best buy said they were planning on grilling Thanksgiving dinner while in line. Orozco and and Escamilla said family members were going to bring them food.
The two men kept warm by throwing a football to each other in the well-lit but vacant parking lot of the store during the chilly morning hours Thursday as temperatures hovered in the mid-40s. The forecast for the day called for dry conditions into Thursday evening but rain is expected to move into the region on Friday.
- Spot a great Black Friday deal? Let us know on twitter: #k2blackfriday
In Woodburn, Ore., police were warning drivers on Interstate 5 to watch for slow traffic and to be prepared for long backups at exits to the Woodburn Company Stores complex, a popular destination for Black Friday shoppers.
Some stores were opening Thursday evening but the main event was the "Moonlight Madness" event taking place at the shopping complex, located south of Portland. Stores will be open for 24 hours straight during the event.
The steady creep of Black Friday sales into Thursday has met resistance in some quarters.
Walmart, which plans to open stores at 8 p.m. Thursday, saw protests about the treatment of workers, including opening on Thursday evening, at some stores. One person at a Southeast Portland Walmart store was arrested "after creating a disturbance inside the store," Portland Police said.
Walmart blames unions for supporting the protests. The 8 p.m. opening time is two hours earlier than on Black Friday in 2011.
Other stores pushing Black Friday sales into Thursday include Target, Sears and Toys-R-Us.
Locally, the Fred Meyer chain, which is owned by Kroger, was open for regular business Thursday until 4 p.m.
Their Black Friday sales begin at 5 a.m. Friday, and includes their traditional 50-percent off sale on socks - but that only lasts for 6 hours, a Fred Meyer worker in Portland told KATU.com.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night via infrared cameras. A salesman appeared to them in radiant 3-D, and the glory of over 1 billion colors shone around them, and they were terrified. But the salesman said to them, âDo not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of Wilsonville a Sale has been born to you; it is Black Friday, the Sale. This will be a sign to you: You will find a long line of idiots wrapped in rain gear and lying in wait near the doors, and Marylou, Joe-Bob and their baby, Baby-Jesus in their midst.â
Â
Suddenly a great company of the advertising host appeared with the salesman, praising the Almighty Dollar and saying, âGlory to Cash in the highest social circles, and on earth peace to those on who have lots of loot.â
Â
When the salesman had left them, the shepherds said to one another, âLetâs go to Wilsonville and see this thing that has happened, which the salesman has told us about.â
Â
So they hurried off and found Marylou and Joe-Bob, and their baby Baby-Jesus, who was lying in a humongous six-wheeled, air conditioned, all-terrain stroller. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this Sale, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Marylou treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart, and moved ahead cut in at the front of the line while everyone else was distracted. The shepherds moved to the end of the line, glorifying and praising Cash for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Â
Amen.
Stupidity!
Â
Baaaa. Baaaa. Baaaa. Baaaa. Baaaa. Baaaa. Baaaa.
Insanity !
bah humb bug- the holidays have turned into nothing more than corporate greed
@LostSoul   Nope - this is consumer greed, for without the consumer, there would be no black friday.
I donât understand why so many people are forming these long lines when there are tons of good deals online right now for phones, tablets, gifts, toys, appliances, and many more
http://thechno.notlong.com
Well, I spent the WHOLE DAY with my family, at home; no traffic, no crazy idiot drivers, no lines (except at the fridge to get the whipped cream for our pie). You can keep your black friday and gray thursday. I will shop when I want, not when big box stores try to ruin my holiday! Anyway, it would be hard to roll me out the door after eating so much turkey.  Â
I'm so sickened by these mile long lines at Walmart where they treat their employees as chattel.I plan on and encourage to support your local community by shopping local.Small businesses are the backbone of our economy.Plus you can find some really cool stuff made by creative people here in Portland.
 @noneofyourbizzness And just think of how many of those shoppers are spending welfare cash taken from taxpayers.
@last boyscout I have no idea do you?
Wow, you guys should've seen the traffic in Woodburn this evening, ridiculous! Â And this was at 8:15pm, almost an hour before the stores open! Â Cmon people get a life...is it really worth it to get all of this "stuff" to make you happy?
 @portlandborn83 Does '83' mean you are a native Oregonian? You are a minority like me in '52.'
 @portlandborn83 It is not they need it, they want it in order to feel good. Just remember, it is like buying a new car when the old one is just fine - it is new, it smells good and makes a person feel good...
Do you people realize the importants of Christmas shopping  as without it most all stores would close as they count on Christmas to make up for 70 percent of there yearly business.When someone buys a present from toys to clothes as they were made somewhere by workers.This guy, It's worth it," Escamilla said. "You're getting a new TV. It's brand new. It's $180 bucks, saving like $300 bucks on the TV. It's worth it." I bet he gonna have one hell of a Christmas with his new tv.When in truth if the person who leaves family to go stand in line as  would rather go shopping then spend another minute with family. lol lol
False hopes and buyers remorse when the prices fall even farther right before 'Barack O'Claus Comes To Town.'
Â
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiIkAyFDj5Q&list=UUWtGs18hCS980pY72L_2rFQ&feature=plpp
Â
@boned Yawn.The election is a distant memory at this point.The American people made their choice and it wasn't the fake that they put up there.
I wouldn't save enough to pay for my bail.No bargain good enough.And Thanksgiving is for families... you can bet the retail bosses... the corporate types... are NOT working for the next four days or so.
I'll pass, Thanksgiving and Christmas have become nothing more than "Financial Holidays". Â Yes I can hear it, "Merry Financial Holiday". Â Some Walmarts are open 24/7 anyway so whats the unions problem? Â Unions just want to destroy the economy, not help build it. Â Look at the greed of the Hostess union employee's and what happened do to their greed.
Â
@RandyH It is not the union employee's that brought down Hostess; it was the Board and executives that took all they could and then blamed the union. This is all over the news, don't believe everything that FOX says. They were hired to turn it around; instead gave themselves huge salarys and put the company under water. Sounds like Bain Capital all over again. Such smart "business men", smart like a fox, take the money and run.
 @justme  @RandyH You don't like the way business is done then start your own business.There company there rules if you don't like it who cares.
@riderofthelegend @justme @RandyH It's *their* not *there*. I'm not the best at grammar myself but I decided to give you a hard time anyway.
People... ignore the hype. Why all the "buy this, buy that" news stories... because they work for ad money and you are not "people" you are "consumers".... break the chains, keep your money and dignity...
 @ChipClip (sarcastic) Yeah, but I don't have any dignity without my purchases
No store has anything that I just have to have, and would to stand in line. I hate standing in lines, and do not voluntarily stand in lines. Each year, it seems to get sooner and earlier for the "Sales".
I will pass on this. Have never been to a Black Friday sale, nor need to.
@Just Lookin I make sure that I buy everything I need to last me to the first of the year.That way I don't have to step into any store until the madness is over.
As you get older, you realize how utterly stupid it is to follow corporate's plans to get even more rich, by playing with the consumer's purse strings. Â Smart shoppers know to plan ahead, instead of waiting and wasting time in crowded lines for a limited supply of products that are about to be marked down anyways. Â I mean, if you seriously step back and think about it, can you see how your minds are being worked? Â It's not a 'buy now, before they're all gone' mentality with the stores. Â Do you think that retail is that much on your side? Â NO! Â They have gimmicks- like this Black Friday, where they want to grab the last extra dime they can, before those products are replaced with the newer versions that come with the changing season. Â Sleep in!Â
Meanwhile all of us retail slaves are trying not have panic attacks... Now that I'm full of turkey, I need to try and get a nap before my overnight shift. It'll be a good night if I don't cry.
@thewhitechickoj Good luck to you.Being in the customer service industry myself I can relate.I always say "the closer you get to Jesus' birthday,the meaner the people get.
 @thewhitechickoj Stop your bitchen  and quit your job
@riderofthelegend @thewhitechickoj Guess what dude? Those of us who work in the service industry or in retail are more than welcome to bit**h all they wan't this time of year.Every job is not perfect and dealing with the holiday people is like a slice of heaven...not
@thewhitechickoj   Aren't you "retail slaves" union?
I'll pass also..  Â
Oh, I'll be there...and no one is going to stand between me and that replacement ink cartridge for my deskjet printer that I've been wanting.
Don`t these dummies that are protesting working on thanksgiving realize it`s the greedy consumers that are driving this feeding frenzy? They have to accomadate the pack of wolves who are knocking down their doors.Wake up you fools.
@J eJ.   Good point.
Sad and pathetic. I'll be home asleep in bed with the wife & cats.
 @Jamie I like cat's and hate shopping so you're alright in my book!  Like for you....
I'll pass... They don't have anything I need or want badly enough to battle the traffic or those crowds..! Â :-)Â
Black Friday: a pagan holiday for blowing away extra cash, purchasing material idoletry to increase one's social status, sometimes accompnied with violent combat between competing foragers.
Personally, I will NOT sully Thanksgiving with family by giving in the the travesty an overly-merchandised Christmas has become. This time of year used to be a time of joy, family traditions and child-like wonder -- no longer the case, I'm afraid.