Shoppers on LI off to early start on Black Friday

Holiday shoppers got an early taste of Black Friday as stores across Long Island opened Thursday night to begin the annual shopping extravaganza.

Crowds swamped stores across the area, prompting one greeter at the Carle Place Toys R Us to joke with customers that it took two hours to get in, and another three to make it past the checkout counters.

But it was a mostly painless experience, customers said, aside from the occasional line-cutter who was escorted to the back by security. A small price to pay for rock-bottom prices.

Rajan Lala, 16, of Albertson was among the first in line arriving while most people were still piling on the stuffing and cranberry sauce, hoping to buy discounted iPods. He waited for over three hours with his cousins, taking shifts sitting in lawn chairs, but he secured the coveted iPod coupons.

Others arrived later to find a line that winded through the parking lot and at times strayed onto Old Country Road. But by 10:45, all those on line when the store opened were able to enter, and by 12:15am Friday, the line had all but disappeared.

Some had lists of items they wished to buy; others had already completed most of their shopping, but were looking for the perfect bargain.

While she said her grandchildren are too old for Santa, Edna Steward, of New Jersey, still took three of them to the store, braving the chill and occasional drizzle. One grandchild, Jenna, 7, said she wanted to find a "Barbie video doll."

IPods and Xbox consoles were the most popular Thursday, said store manager Greg Baumer. He said he also saw a lot of interest in kitchen play sets and Squinkies, one of the fastest selling items this year.

Fernando and Annette Jorardo of Inwood went shopping for a store before they started looking for sales, choosing the Carle Place store because others had even longer lines.

"We had to wait to put the baby to sleep," he said, "so we asked our friends who were also shopping to tell us where the lines are shortest and this was it. It was worth the drive."

Nearly 2,000 customers shopped at the store between 10pm and midnight according to Baumer.

At the Tanger Outlet mall in Deer Park, thousands of young people flocked to stores like J Crew, Old Navy and Juicy Couture. As "bouncers" kept stores at safe occupant levels, many shoppers reveled in the holiday cheer. The "Magic of Midnight" event and deals at every store drew in Caitlin Gorman, 19, and her 17 year old cousins Jessica Nelson and Maggie Burns. "It's just a great atmosphere, everyone is really festive," she said.

Parking was the only issue, said customers, many of whom said they circled around for 10 minutes looking for a spot.

"It's Black Friday, or I guess Black Thursday," Gorman said, "what do you expect?"