PANAMA CITY — After camping overnight in front of Best Buy in Panama City, father-daughter team Brittany Fleer and Duane Sutek got what they wanted Thursday night.
The pair arrived at the store at 4 p.m. Wednesday, harnessing the first spot in line and a “golden ticket” for a doorbuster deal pricing of a 50-inch Panasonic LED HDTV at just $200.
“My daughter was the first one here,” said Sutek, as Fleer took a time-out in the car to escape the cold. “She’s the one that stayed in the tent last night.”
The pair took turns rotating spots in line before the Best Buy doors opened at 5 p.m. Thursday. After waiting in line all through Thanksgiving Day, Sutek admitted he was thinking about turkey.
“I haven’t even smelled any turkey today,” he said. “I want some turkey.”
Sutek and Fleer weren’t the only shoppers eyeing the Panasonic TV.
“We camped out all night last night; it was intense,” said Christina El-Far, who also scored a ticket for Best Buy’s most coveted Black Friday item. “I like Black Friday. I like the hustle and bustle.”
El-Far and her friends passed the time watching Netflix, using the Wifi password given to them by Best Buy staff.
“We did make a lot of new friends,” El-Far said. “I was going to buy a TV anyway, so I figured we might as well get a good deal on it.”
Some shoppers weren’t as lucky. With Black Friday advertisements in hand, customers flooded stores, eagerly pointing to their desired item — only to be told the stock already was depleted.
Carl Allen drove all the way from Dothan, Ala., seeking the same TV at Best Buy, but was told it was no longer available.
“I’m a lot disappointed,” he said, as he stood in line to see if rainchecks would be available.
While Best Buy staff describes their regimented Black Friday routine as a “controlled chaos,” it was a free-for-all at Wal-Mart Panama City on Thursday as customers clogged aisles and stuffed items in their carts as the deals rolled out at 6 p.m.
“It’s very confusing,” said Wal-Mart shopper Chris Bowdish, who waited in line to snag a 50-inch HDTV for $218. “Wal-Mart, because they don’t close, they don’t have time to set it up.”
Confusion aside, Bowdish applauded Wal-Mart’s price guarantee for certain items, promising a discounted price on items for customers between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., even after the in-store stock is depleted.
Not all Black Friday shoppers were shopping for themselves Thursday night.
Lori Allen, executive director of the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center, left Toys ’R’ Us with a cart full of baby dolls and board games to give to children in the community who have been victims of abuse and neglect.
Allen said Black Friday deals helped her save about $200 on a $350 purchase of Christmas toys for the roughly 250 children the center sponsors through its Holiday Hope program.
“This is our annual night out trying to get as much as we can for this kids,” Allen said. “We’re definitely reaching the families that have been identified as being in need. They’re in some way impacted by abuse or neglect. Those are the sorts of families that we’re trying to help out.”