Local shoppers out in droves for Black Friday

West Porterville was busy with early morning shoppers hitting the stores in hopes of landing some great bargains during what is known as Black Friday — shopping the day after Thanksgiving — the traditional beginning of, and one of the busiest Christmas shopping days of the year.

“We started at 6 a.m.,” Sandy Burns of Porterville said. “We went to Wal-Mart and it was so packed. The line to pay went all the way to the kids’ section and back again, so we turned around and walked out. We came here and have been here since.”

Burns and her daughter, Nicole Roper of Fairfield, spent a good hour filling a shopping cart with toys and other gifts at Target.

They were not the only ones with the same thought. Shiloh Clower and her mother, Sherry Miller, walked through the toy aisle, teasing 2-year-old Katie Clower who sat in the cart, not to peek at the toys.

“We started at 6:30,” Shiloh Clower said. “We’re shopping for kids and for adults and plan on making it an all-day thing and have fun.”

As they pushed their cart through the store, dozens of other shoppers made the toy, electronics and small-appliance aisles look like a bumper-to-bumper sea of red carts. But even so, everything ran smoothly, and store employees could be seen restocking shelves, folding clothing and keeping the place in order.

“We opened at 6 a.m. and it’s been great,” store manager Paul Tuttle said. “We staffed way up from last year and added quite a few more team members. This year, our big toy sellers are the Elmo dolls. They’re still hot. And radio-control cars and V-tech games — video games — for younger kids, such as Leapfrog.”

Santa Claus — Porterville resident Robert Coy — was also seen picking up children’s toys.

Coy, who was dressed in a red Santa hat, a red shirt and had white hair, a white beard, red cheeks and a belly that shook when he laughed, struggled as he pushed a cart overflowing with toys out the door.

“Even Santa has to shop,” he said as numerous other shoppers stopped to shake his hand, inform him that they had been nice — and in some cases, naughty — all year, and to take his photograph.

Coy, founder and director of Santa’s Toys for Kids, an organization that has been providing toys for underprivileged children in Poplar for the past 13 years, said he relies solely on donations for the purchase of the toys.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg. We have to have 2,000 toys by Christmas Eve. We make sure every kid has a candy bag, a stuffed animal, a new toy and — in the past — a wooden toy provided by the San Joaquin Woodworkers Association,” Coy said. “This is my 13th year and I haven’t run out of toys yet but this year will be close if I don’t get some help.”

Outside the store, there was plenty of security. Porterville police officers could be seen on bicycles, motorcycles and in vehicles, taking care of crowd control and making sure that everyone had a pleasant shopping experience.

The same scenario played out at the Wal-Mart shopping center.

“I got here at 7 a.m. and I’m still here,” Ramon Hernandez of Porterville said. “I’m picking up things for the home, my wife and my six children.”

Hernandez said the early hours were some of the best times to pick up home necessities.

“Some of these things are for the house,” he said as he pointed to a vacuum cleaner, a sewing machine and a new high-definition flat screen television. “I had to get these things anyway, especially now that the old televisions won’t work, so we waited for the sales and take advantage of this Black Friday day.”

As others shopped for gifts, Jason Reed stood in line with an artificial Christmas tree.

“I just got my own place so I needed a tree,” Reed said. “I’m going to put it up and then take it easy the rest of the day. With the economy the way it is, I will have to be careful with my money this year but I’m not worried. I’m sure there will be plenty of sales all month long. Today I just wanted to come and get this tree."

Main Street in Porterville appeared desolate in comparison to Henderson Avenue.

“We’re just opening, so usually by afternoon, it will be a little busier,” Juanita Craig said at Country Pleasures. “We have thousands of unique gifts here — from Noah’s Ark and other inspirational gifts, to a nice selection of wind chimes, candles and lots of yarn. We have a whole knitting yarn section in back.”

The store also carries a large selection of Willow Tree figurines and personal greeting cards, Craig said.

Next door at Special Occasions and Gifts, Jennifer Brinkley and her mother Carrie Brinkley also offered an array of unique gifts.

“Our motto is that we have gifts for friends, family and home,” Jennifer Brinkley said.

But in reality, the small shops can offer so much more than large department stores, they said. Besides avoiding massive crowds, shoppers at their store can experience a few extra perks.

“We pride ourselves on customer service,” Brinkley said. “We have complimentary gift wrapping and personal shopping. People can bring us their shopping list and we can do the shopping for them.”

In addition, the store offers a year-long wish list. Clients can write down what they would like from the store and then send in their family and friends to shop for them. They also offer a Smart Shoppers program, where shoppers receive gift certificates after spending a certain amount at the store.

“We offer everything from children’s books and clothing to unique one-of-a-kind shoes,” Carrie Brinkley said. "We also have a large selection of Brighton and other personal accessories."

The store will be open Sunday afternoons starting Dec. 7.

“We serve refreshments. We want to pamper people as they shop. That is why we always try to go that extra mile,” Jennifer Brinkley said. “We’re grateful and feel blessed to be here. We’re excited about Christmas.”

-- Contact Esther Avila at 784-5000, Ext. 1047, or eavila@portervillerecorder.com.