At some stores, strict rules and tight security prevented any mad rushes normally associated with Black Friday.
Those looking for discounted electronics made their way to Best Buy, 2200 El Mercado Loop, where, according to General Manager Stephanie Hernandez, “roughly anywhere from 125 to 150” people were waiting when the doors opened at 5 a.m.
  
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“The hottest (item) that everyone was after was the Toshiba laptop,” Hernandez said.
Only 15 of each of the two versions of the heavily discounted laptop were available, each of which was marked down hundreds of dollars, she said.
“The 52-inch Panasonic plasma TV was probably the next hottest commodity,” she said.
Brent Luch, 19, waited more than 16 hours to be first in line for one of the laptops.
“This is how I spent my Thanksgiving break off of school,” said Luch, who had been waiting since noon Thanksgiving Day.
His mother, Jocelyn Luch, was also after one of the discounted laptops and joined him shortly after.
“This is our second year doing this,” she said.
In an effort to keep things fair and orderly, tickets reserving the discounted items in limited quantity were passed out to those in line.
“So that way, you’re sure to get that item, so you didn’t wait all night for nothing,” Luch said.
The Buena High School Drum Line arrived an hour before the store opened and played for those in line.
“We’ve been looking for a fundraiser, so we thought standing out here in the dark might be a good idea,” said Brad Gallant, one of the band directors. “We figure they will either give us money to stop playing or to keep playing.”
An hour later, when the doors opened at Target, 4151 E. Highway 90, at 6 a.m., more than 400 shoppers piled into the store.
“We had assistance from Sierra Vista PD and our asset protection team as well, to help control the crowd, which was very well maintained this year,” said Sue Dennis, store manager.
After 24 years with Target, Dennis said that Black Fridays normally run “like clockwork” these days.
“You don’t have the mad rush crowds anymore,” Dennis said.
That may have been true for Sierra Vista this year, but early news reports from elsewhere across the country have already reported injuries or worse, including a Wal-Mart employee who was trampled to death by surging customers at a store in Long Island, N.Y.
The local Target store wasn’t taking any chances this year, said Kendra Green and Jasmine Jones-Green, two customers at the front of the line who had waited since midnight.
“They said if you run, you’ll get arrested, no questions asked,” Jones-Green said.
Just like Best Buy, tickets were handed out for the more limited items.
“If you have a ticket, you’re automatically guaranteed that item instead of having to fight the crowd,” Green said.
Employees also handed out maps that marked the location in the store of items advertised in Thanksgiving fliers, she said.
The two women said they hoped to get most of their holiday shopping done on Friday and planned things accordingly.
“My husband’s a pretty big guy,” said Green, “so we’re like, there’s a pretty big TV at Wal-Mart, so we’re going to send him there.”
Waiting six hours in the cold was worth the time it saved in the long run, she said.
“You can get 75 percent of your Christmas shopping done in three hours,” she said.
Shawna Pryor and her husband, Gary, have been getting up early Black Friday morning for the past 15 years.
“We’ve always done it,” Pryor said, “it’s kind of a tradition.”
Though they’ve been doing it for more than a decade, Pryor said they don’t take the day as seriously as some other shoppers.
“Probably if it were raining, we wouldn’t be standing out here,” she said.
Other retailers in town reported eager customers waiting to get in.
Sears reported a line of customers from the entrance of the hardware department to the order pickup door, resulting in sales beating company expectations for the store.
Hundreds of customers lined up outside Wal-Mart, stretching from the store entrance to neighboring store Sutherlands Lumber Co.
For those ready to face the long lines and cold weather, it was a successful day.
Anyone thinking about braving the crowds next year should enjoy the holiday, but come prepared, Green said.
“Eat, sleep, be merry, then map out a game plan,” she said.
Herald/Review reporter Derek Jordan can be reached at 515-4680 or by e-mail at derek.jordan@svherald.com.
