A gun-weilding man scattered Walmart shoppers early this morning in Columbus, a raucous start to a Black Friday that saw bargain-hunters braving rain and frigid weather to get their hands on deals from TVs to toys.
The 28-year-old man was tackled by Lowndes County sheriff”s deputies in the crowded Columbus Walmart early Friday when he tried to pull a gun on a store manager.
After deputies on duty in the store cuffed Shawn Walker, of Columbus, at about 2 a.m., he was able to pull a gun from his pocket, scattering nearby shoppers.
Walker was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, failure to obey an officer and public intoxication.
Shopping this morning was busy but otherwise benign.
Jennifer Smith, of Lackey, was at Walmart at about 2 a.m. and again at 8 a.m. to get one of the store”s marked-down flatscreen TVs.
“It”s been busy and kind of crowded,” said Smith, who missed the gun-toting action. “There was no shoving, though.”
Walmart employees described the day as a “really good day,” compared to their previous experiences.
“It”s been good except for the cold and the rain,” added one employee, Mary.
In a bid to grab shoppers earlier on the traditional start to the holiday shopping season, a number of stores including Old Navy and Sears opened on Thursday”s Thanksgiving holiday.
First-time Black Friday shopper Patricia Gann, of Columbus, began shopping at 5 a.m., hitting stores in Leigh Mall before winding up at Old Navy.
Gann, who was shopping for family and for herself, said the experience had been pleasant.
“I normally work the day after Thanksgiving, so I”m happy to be here,” she said. “I used to watch people and wish I was out there.”
Judy Duncan of Starkville, shopping this morning at the Starkville JC Penney, said she had been out since 5 a.m. “It was actually less busy than I thought it would be,” she said. “They had stuff that I thought they”d be sold out of.”
Duncan said she”s a regular Black Friday participant. “I think it”s just the excitement of being out for the kick-off of the holiday season,” she said. “It sort of gets you in the mood. Plus the really great savings, which is the most important part.”
Nationwide, bad weather, however, could put a damper on sales. Rain was falling or threatening much of the East Coast, and early morning temperatures were in the teens and 20s throughout the Midwest and mountain states, according to the National Weather Service.
The fierce battle for shoppers” wallets promises savings for those willing and able to buy amid an economy that”s still worrying many.
The good news is that retailers are heading into the season with some momentum after a solid start to November. Shoppers who can afford it are buying more nonessentials, like jewelry and luxury goods. That”s helping to lift their spirits about the holiday season, which is expected to generate revenue gains modestly higher than a year ago.
Still, nearly 15 million are unemployed, and concerns about job security cloud consumer confidence. Spending may be picking up but has not returned to pre-recession levels.
So, retailers are pushing deals on basics as well as offering discounts on more deluxe items, from bigger flat-panel TVs to more elaborate play sets.
“It”s a dogfight between retail companies,” said Chris Donnelly, a senior executive in consulting group Accenture”s retail practice. “This year is the first time that there”s a little more money in the marketplace so they”re being more aggressive about getting the last dollar. At the end of the day, they”re going to outweigh people who are pulling back.”
Many stores pushed more exclusive deals online on Thursday in a bid to rope in shoppers before Black Friday. It apparently worked. According to IBM”s Coremetrics, online sales soared 33 percent on the holiday compared with Thanksgiving 2009.
Consumers began shopping earlier in the day on Thursday compared with a year earlier. And the average order was $182.74, up from $159.81 on last year”s Thanksgiving Day.
The Kohl”s department store chain, which planned to open at 3 a.m. Friday, one hour earlier than a year ago, is promoting diamond bracelets and diamonds heart pendants for $99 each, down from $500 or $575. The store is also offering 50 percent off all toys.
Thanksgiving weekend is huge for retailers. In recent years, so-called Black Friday has been the busiest shopping day of the year, according to data from research firm ShopperTrak. But it doesn”t necessarily provide a complete forecast of holiday sales. In fact, shoppers seem to be procrastinating more every year, so the fate of the holiday season is increasingly down to the last few days before Christmas.
Retailers do study buying patterns for the weekend to discern shoppers” mindset. This year, that means taking the measure on their willingness to spend just a little bit more.
Last year, the Thanksgiving shopping weekend accounted for 12.3 percent of overall holiday revenue, according to ShopperTrak. Black Friday made up about half of that.
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