Crowds seeking bargains on what is traditionally called "Black Friday" were well-behaved today, according to spokesmen for area retail stores and the Blytheville Police Department.
"Everyone was so orderly, waiting patiently in line," Brenda McDaniel, store manager at Fred's, said Friday morning.
The store was offering gold dollar coins to the first 100 people in line. Shoppers lined up in an orderly fashion to receive their coins and their place to enter the store as it opened at 5 a.m., she said.
Bargains on electronics like DVD players and interactive video games were the hot items at the store, she said. "The hot items were gone in a matter of minutes," she added.
A few yards away, crowds were also pleasant at JCPenney, said Manager Charles Gillespie.
"It's going great," he said about 9 a.m., after a five-hour rush of shoppers. The store opened to people waiting patiently in line at 4 a.m., he said.
"It was so great to see the crowds. Just outstanding," he said.
Popular items included heavy-weight winter wear for the whole family, he said. "The cold weather hit at just the right time."
Also popular were clothing for women and kids, men's leather jackets and "anything fleece," he said.
The store had "doorbuster specials" that brought many shoppers in, he said. Those specials include bargains on towels and pillows and blankets, as well as jewelry and clothing.
"We're beating last year's numbers," Gillespie added.
The number of shoppers and the cost of items being purchased made Gillespie optimistic about the future of retail.
"Maybe this means the economy is turning around."
"We're doing good so far," Sears owner Dave Fieber said at 9 this morning. "I don't know if we'll beat last year's numbers ... but I think we'll be close. The morning has been real brisk. I've been real happy with the way things have gone so far. We opened at 4 and we've been busy ever since. We'll be open until 7 tonight. We want to thank Blytheville for its business."
One of the few stores to open at 4 a.m. instead of 5 a.m., Sears had around 30 come through the doors when it opened.
The parking lot of the Walmart Supercenter was overflowing at 4:20 a.m. Friday. Attempts to reach the store manager for comments were unsuccessful.