Slight dip in area crowds for Black Friday

   It began the moment the clock ushered in Black Friday, with night owls making a trip “down the hill” to Ontario Mills, which opened at midnight for the first time.
   For early birds, it started with 4 a.m. trips to the local Kohl’s and JCPenney.
   Though customers and workers alike say crowds were a bit smaller this year than in years past, parking lots were full, lines were long and hot-ticket items sold out early during the biggest shopping day of the year.
   “I’m 60 years old and this is the first time I’ve done this,” said Oak Hills resident Patricia Herra.
   Herra’s daughter convinced her to visit
Hesperia’s new SuperTarget as it opened at 6 a.m. The two chose the store for a particular hair straightener it carries and a Hanna Montana-themed gift for a younger family member. The two left with two shopping carts full of gifts and were headed on to Wal-Mart.
   “I’ve heard nightmare stories,” Herra said, but reported the morning crowds weren’t as crazy as she expected.
   That lack of craziness may prove to be retailers’ worst nightmare, who are counting on the holiday to revive lagging sales.
   A poll at VVDailyPress.com showed that more than half of the 237 online voters plan to slash their Christmas budgets by at least 25 percent compared with last year. Just 7 percent said they plan to spend more this year.
   Norman Gainer, director of the Circuit City near the Mall of Victor Valley, said overall customer traffic is down from last year.
   Still, Gainer said his store sold out of its must-have item — 40 laptops priced at just $399 — shortly after opening at 5 a.m. to long lines of people waiting to get in.
   At the Best Buy around the corner on Amargosa Road, also opening at 5 a.m. with the same laptop deal, there were a dozen or so young people who had lined up since Thanksgiving night.
   There also, Theresa Jeffers, coach for the Victor Valley High School cheerleading squad, reported that lines were not as long as last year when they were wrapped around the building.
   Jeffers’ squad started setting up gift-wrapping booths across the city at 2 a.m. She said the longest line she saw that morning was at Wal-Mart.
   Some of the mothers who gathered at one booth said that, aside from the economy, they believe the morning rush was down a bit because many stores are offering extended sales through today or even Sunday in hopes of getting as much business out of this holiday weekend as possible.
   This more relaxed approach fit Monica LaBrose, who got a later start than usual, rolling into Kohl’s at 9 a.m. LaBrose was on the hunt for only one item at Kohl’s, a particular gadget for her husband.
   LaBrose’s holiday shopping approach exemplifies another trend experts predicted for this Black Friday: more customers shopping for particular, discounted items rather than browsing the sale racks.
   As shoppers navigated the crowded aisles, many had store ads in their hand. As they walked out, many could be seen crossing items off their lists.