Shoppers out in force on Friday

Shoppers were out in force on Friday morning, some having waited in line for hours to nab specially-discounted items.

Bernie Brown began her shopping experience on Thanksgiving at 6 p.m. when she got in line to be one of the first into Best Buy Friday morning. Then she went to Kohl's.

"Now we're going to the mall," Brown said as she loaded her van.

At Target Tina White was also loading bags and boxes into her van.

"It's crazy, but I needed to save some money so here I am," said White, who lives in Maricopa.

For several years off-duty police officers have provided security for shoppers waiting in line and Sgt. Philip Haller said the line at Target was about what it was in past years.

"They had a line all the way to Mervyn's. I didn't see any drop-off (in the number of shoppers lining up for an early start)," he said, adding that there was less impulse buying.

"A ton of people, but maybe a little more selective in what they bought,' Haller added.

At Best Buy, Sgt. Tom Craig was also pleased to see how many people were waiting to get in when he arrived at 4 a.m. to help provide security.

"We were kind of surprised," Craig said of the long line of people wrapped around to Jo-Ann's fabric and craft store.

Security was high at all the shopping centers, with off-duty officers providing security for some individual stores and regular patrol officers cruising parking lots.

For more on the start of the holiday season, see the Dec. 3 issue of the Ahwatukee Foothills News or revisit www.ahwatukee.com.