Black Friday Brings Out Crowds

It was pretty amazing. My first shopping attempt on Black Friday actually began on Turkey Thursday this year. And hundreds of others had the same idea.

No pepper spray or tasers here. Just lots of cordial, eager shoppers.

Stores throughout Kennesaw and Acworth had lines wrapped around them as holiday shoppers began their trek after eating their Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday.

Ryan Price is a seasoned Black Friday shopper. He had been first in line at the Acworth store since Tuesday at 9 a.m., waiting to buy some precious electronics at great prices at midnight. About 100 folks were behind him and the line grew throughout the night.

"This is my sixth year doing this, and I've always found really good deals for my family," said Price, a Smyrna resident. "And I really like saving all that money." 

Price said he hoped to grab a 42-inch flatscreen TV for $200 for his father, who was in the hospital recently and is home recuperating. "I just wanted to get him a really nice TV to watch," said Price, who also has his eye on laptop computers and other electronics.

Matt Brown of Marietta was a first-time Black Friday shopper at the Acworth . Arriving at 4 p.m. Thursday, he had his eyes on a 46-inch LCD TV for $298. By the time the store opened at midnight, about 1,000 folks were in line behind him.

What does he think of the earlier shopping hours? "It's stupid, really shameful," said Brown.

Dallas resident Cindy Little stood in line at that same Target and said Black Friday has been an annual mother/daughter ritual for her and her daughter for 15 years. "We love all the people and we love looking for all the bargains," said Little. "It's really exciting."

Acworth residents Aimee Tudor, 15, and Payton Ulrich, 13, said they were first in line at the Acworth Kohl's since 7:30 p.m. to get one item--shoes. Hopefully, it was worth the wait.