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Cheerful shoppers hit the stores, but Thursday openings diminish crowds

"Let it go?" Not likely after Patty Page of Naperville rose at 5 a.m. on Black Friday and endured temperatures worthy of "Frozen" at Oakbrook Center to track down one of the "it" toys of 2014 - an Elsa doll from the hit movie destined to melt the heart of her niece.

"Everything was 20 percent off. ... I spent $68 for four gifts," Page said. "There's a lot of Elsa fans among my nieces and nephews." The doll, which did not belt out Elsa's trademark "Let it Go" song, sells normally for $24.95 but was on sale for $20.

The find wasn't an impulse buy. Page had cased several stores at Oakbrook Center on Wednesday, asking shop clerks for the lowdown on bargains. "Some told us and others did not," she said.

That savvy attitude was reflected by other consumers out shopping on Black Friday.

Natasha Argyris of Burr Ridge checked out multiple ads before heading to Macy's at Oakbrook Center to buy an 18-piece Pyrex cooking set perched atop a shopping cart bursting with bags.

"I've been looking for this for a long time," said Argyris, who loves to cook Greek comfort food like spanakopita from her native land for family and friends. "Pyrex is very expensive. ... Macy's had the best price."

As fashionistas streamed out of the mall clutching Michael Kors and Gap, Villa Park's Lyric Lederer bucked the trend.

"I've got a deep socket set and a magnet to hold nuts and bolts so they don't fall all over the place," she said, adding the items are presents for her boyfriend, who works at Ford.

Unlike other males awkwardly accompanying women in Victoria's Secret, Lederer's grandfather, Rick Wawak, enjoyed going with her on the shopping trip to Sears' hardware section. "It's a little different," he said.

Lederer was one of 140 million Americans the National Retail Federation expected to hit the stores or shop online Thursday through Sunday. The shopping rush kicks off a holiday season the federation forecasts will be the best in three years, helped by falling unemployment, rising wages and lower gas prices.

The group, based in Washington, D.C., says sales in November and December may rise 4.1 percent over last year.

Less morning gridlock

Numerous store openings on Thursday might have spread out the crowds, with some suburban malls still offering plenty of parking at 7 a.m. Friday, compared to early-morning gridlock in previous years.

At Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, shoppers descended upon the 200 or so stores as early as 6 p.m. Thursday.

David Gott, Woodfield's general manager, walked through the mall Friday morning clutching a thermos of coffee, on about four hours of sleep. It comes with the territory, he said, on what is one of the busiest days of the year at the shopping mecca.

The crowd volume ebbed and flowed, peaking at 2 a.m. Friday, dropping off at 4 a.m., then building up again by 7 a.m., he said. Gott expected the 10,300-car parking lot to be close to capacity throughout the afternoon and evening, with as many as 35,000 shoppers present at one time.

Customers seeking discounts on Blu-ray players, computer equipment, mobile devices and more packed the aisles at the Best Buy store Friday morning in Vernon Hills.

Palatine resident Dinesh Vadivel came for a television but bought a DVD player and a media player instead.

Early a.m. 'tradition'

Greg Crecchio and his wife, Lori, of Round Lake Beach, say early-morning shopping is "tradition." They scored two 32-inch TVs they will give as gifts. "They were a good price, so we picked them up," Crecchio said.

Shoppers started seeking bargains Thursday, when J.C. Penney Co. unlocked the doors at 5 p.m., compared with 8 p.m. in 2013. Macy's Inc. and Target Corp. opened at 6 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, two hours earlier than last year.

For retailers, "being first is incredibly important," said Pat Dermody, president of Retale, a mobile application that aggregates circulars from major retailers. "If you're first, you've got customers who are full of spirit and full of cash."

Brittney Allen braced herself for large crowds Friday morning at Spring Hill Mall in West Dundee but was surprised to find no such thing.

"I was in and out. I'm shocked. It's Black Friday and there's nobody here," the Sleepy Hollow resident said, showing off her new HTC Desire cellphone.

The crowds showed up earlier, said Maria Rodriguez of Elgin, who got up at 4 a.m. to shop with her 8-year-old daughter Marisa Sanchez.

The pair spent the morning at Spring Hill, browsing different stores and having breakfast. Five hours later, they walked out with pajamas for Marisa and her sibling, and pillows for the whole family. "I'm very happy with what we bought; it was very cheap," Rodriguez said.

Doorbusters weren't enough for some consumers, who upped the ante with coupons either printed or on smartphones.

'The rush of a deal'

Katie Donatucci woke up at 5 a.m. for "the rush of getting a good deal" at the Gap at Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora.

"I think it was 50 to 75 percent off everything and then I had reward points and an email with 20 percent off," said Donatucci, who bought clothing for her husband and sister.

Family was also on the minds of sisters Tracie and Trinie Tran.

Tracie Tran said her best finds were Onesies from the Gap for her niece and nephew. "Babies grow out of (clothing) so fast that you're constantly buying clothes for them."

Visiting Missourian Jen Regas popped into the outlet mall for a Kate Spade fix.

"The purses just are great, colorful, and I like them," Regas said, adding there's no Spade outlet where she lives in Kansas City.

Likes the crowds

Regas took the crowds and lines in stride. "I like being out with the people, even though it's crazy," she said. Shopping for loved ones "makes you start getting in the Christmas spirit."

Shoppers at The Quad, or Charlestowne Mall in St. Charles, were limited to three main retail options: Von Maur, Carson Pirie Scott and Kohl's. The majority of the other store spaces await tenants and a rebirth of the mall following its purchase by The Krausz Cos. But for now, that scarcity of options drew some shoppers.

"I came here because I thought other places would be too annoying," said Batavia resident Shelley Lara.

Back at Woodfield Mall, Heather Guillen of Cary took a breather, surrounded by about 10 bags from the likes of Michael Kors and Z Gallerie. While it was only Guillen's second year of shopping on Black Friday, sister Laurie Leeds of Hoffman Estates is a seasoned veteran. "We've been coming out since my daughter was small," Leeds said. "We used to come at 4 a.m." Their best deal of the day was leather purses from Michael Kors, regularly $290, but on sale for $179.

• Daily Herald reporters Elena Ferrarin, Jim Fuller, Russell Lissau, Safiya Merchant and Chris Placek plus Associated Press wire services contributed to this report.

  Patty Page of Naperville is beaming at the deal she got on an Elsa doll from the Disney Store at Oakbrook Center. MARNI PYKE/mpyke@dailyherald.com
  Natasha Argyris of Burr Ridge is ready to whip up some comfort food with an 18-piece Pyrex set from Macy's. MARNI PYKE/mpyke@dailyherald.com
  Tracie and Trinie Tran display baby clothes they scored at Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora. Safiya Merchant/smerchant@dailyherald.com
  Jen Regas of Missouri beams as she holds up a new Kate Spade purse at Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora. Safiya Merchant/smerchant@dailyherald.com
  Brittney Allen of Sleepy Hollow was excited to buy a new HTC Desire cellphone on Black Friday at the Cricket store at Spring Hill Mall in West Dundee. She was shocked at the small crowds, she said. Elena Ferrarin/eferrarin@dailyherald.com
  Andres Gonzalez of Elgin, left, and his sons Fabian, 12, middle, and Bryan, 16, bought shoes on Black Friday at Sears in West Dundee. They would have shopped more, but Gonzalez had to go to work. Elena Ferrarin/eferrarin@dailyherald.com
  Maria Rodriguez of Elgin and her daughter Marisa Sanchez, 8, got up at 4 a.m. to be among early shoppers at Spring Hill Mall in West Dundee. Elena Ferrarin/eferrarin@dailyherald.com
  Thravas Pryce, with Jackson Rahn, 9, and Mikayla Pryce, 11, bought a queen size air mattress for $49 at The Quad in St. Charles. Jim Fuller/jfuller@dailyherald.com
  Abdullah Musleh of South Bend, Ind., shows his catch of the day, some Air Jordans that he immediately started wearing, while Black Friday shopping at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg. Bob Chwedyk/bchwedyk@dailyherald.com
  Jillian Pogue of Roselle holds up her bargains she got at the White Barn store while Black Friday shopping at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg. Bob Chwedyk/bchwedyk@dailyherald.com
  Black Friday shoppers crowd Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg. Bob Chwedyk/bchwedyk@dailyherald.com
  Shoppers line up to get into the Coach outlet store on Black Friday at the Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora. Scott Sanders/ssanders@dailyherald.com
  Greg Crecchio, of Round Lake Beach, bought a TV at Best Buy in Vernon Hills. He says early-morning shopping is a "tradition." Russ Lissau/rlissau@dailyherald.com
  Dinesh Vadivel of Palatine bought a DVD player at Best Buy in Vernon Hills. Russ Lissau/rlissau@dailyherald.com
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