Shoppers curb spending, not enthusiasm

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By Kara Rowland and Rodney Lamkey Jr.

Putting Norman Rockwell on hold, Harash Habibzadeh passed up a Thanksgiving dinner with his fiancee, family and friends to stake out a spot in line outside the Wal-Mart at Fair Lakes Shopping Center.

He and some friends bundled up in layers Thursday night and gathered around a space heater, braving near-freezing weather for a chance to snag some of the best deals of the holiday shopping season when the Fairfax store opened its doors at 4 a.m. Friday.

When the doors opened at the nearby Fair Oaks Mall, "Black Friday" shoppers were out in force, undeterred by forecasts of a gloomy sales season.

Sandy Molyneux and daughter Stephanie were one of many mother-daughter teams combing their way through the shopping center to take advantage of retail specials — in their case, 30 percent off merchandise at Pacific Sunwear.

"We go every year, not that we need anything," said Ms. Molyneux of Gainesville, Va.

Like other bargain-hunters, the pair said concerns about an economic downturn curbed their spending this year.

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Black Friday finds frugal consumers

Crowds gathered outside of the Wal-Mart in Fairfax, Va., for the 5 a.m. opening with select merchandise in mind for the Black Friday sales.

"It's slowed me down," Ms. Molyneux said. "It's going to be all cash."

Back at the Fair Lakes Wal-Mart, the eye of the hurricane was in the electronics section as its feeder bands of chaos spread into the aisles. Customers carried huge televisions over their heads, stuffed them into shopping carts or dragged them along the floor.

Rita Plebuch of Chantilly, no rookie to the scene, calmly stood her ground. "This is worse than last year," she said. "It's quite a surprise, which is nice."