Camping out for bargains

Local News

Related Photos

Discussion

November 29, 2008

Black Friday a family tradition

By KEN de la BASTIDE The Kokomo Tribune Sat Nov 29, 2008, 12:19 AM EST

Some Black Friday shoppers go to extremes.

Take the Haney family.

With overnight temperatures dipping into the 20s Thursday, Wabash resident Laci Haney spent the night in a tent outside Best Buy in Kokomo.

Bundled up as best she could, she slept on hard concrete.

It is the price she willingly pays — every year — for the coveted first place in line come opening time the morning of Black Friday.

This year, she was vying for deeply discounted laptop computers for her children.

And don’t ask her what time she got there.

“You don’t want to know,” Haney said. “It was pretty early.”

By pretty early, she means 8 a.m. Thursday. The doors would open at 5 a.m. Friday.

“It’s a lot better than last year,” she said. “It was snowing and colder.”

Camping out for bargains is an annual ritual for the family, and once the children reach the sixth grade, they can join in the fun.

“We dress warm, and it’s a lot of fun,” she said. “You meet a lot of people.”

She wasn’t waiting alone.

By 8 p.m. Thursday, dedicated shoppers bundled against the cold in lawn chairs. A line of pop-up tents stretched from the entrance doors to the north end of the building.

Tara Oman, of Indianapolis, was visiting family members in Greentown and continued the family tradition of camping out.

Dressed in a camouflage snowsuit, she shared a portable propane heater with her brother.

The siblings — in the market for a computer, GPS device and a laser printer — arrived at Best Buy at 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

“We learned our lesson last year,” she said with a laugh. “We got here at 5 p.m. and were at the end of the building.

“Last year, we saved $400 on some computers,” she said. “Divide that by 10 hours, and it’s $40 per hour. More than I make when working.”

Last year, Oman said, her mother brought them Thanksgiving dinner while they waited in line.

Kokomo resident Kim Beard and her 11-year-old daughter, Bailey, were prepared with an air mattress and were waiting for the delivery of a tent.

“This is my first time camping out,” Beard said. “I have stood in line before at 2 a.m. waiting for stores to open.”

Beard said her daughter wanted a laptop computer for Christmas.

“Everyone is pretty friendly,” she said.

After shopping at Best Buy, they will fit in a few more stores, wrapping it up about 10 a.m. Then, it’s out to breakfast and home to sleep.

Dave Holmes, of Logansport, was bundled against the cold while sitting in a chair. He was joined by his son.

“We got here about 6 p.m.,” he said Thursday. “We were hoping to be here around 4 p.m., but got delayed.”

Holmes was there to purchase his son a desktop computer as an early high school graduation present.

“This is the first time I’ve waited outside a store for so long,” he said. “When I was younger, I camped out for concert tickets.”

Ryan Bolinger and two friends from Peru arrived at 3:30 p.m. He has camped out before.

“We didn’t expect to be first in line,” he said. “Last year, there was someone here at 10 a.m.”

Bolinger was looking to save $100 on the purchase of a flat panel wide screen computer monitor.

“We’ll keep shopping,” he said. “We have a list of ads in the tent and decide where to go.”

Ken de la Bastide can be reached at (765) 454-8580 or via e-mail at ken.delabastide@kokomotribune.com

Text Only | Photo Reprints

Local News

Entire U.S. 31 corridor now under contract
Every segment of the 13.1-mile, U.S. 31 Kokomo Corridor is now officially under construction.

May 25, 2012 1 Photo
Northwestern to graduate 130 seniors
Peyton Hite ended her last day in high school by going home and washing sheep.

“It’s part of living on a farm,” she said, with a laugh.

May 25, 2012
Drugs, cash seized, four arrested
Police from four agencies seized heroin, pills, syringes and cash, and arrested four people this week after a raid on a house on East Street, according to police reports.

May 25, 2012 1 Photo
Lafayette job fair expects Kokomo hopefuls
Organizers of a Lafayette job fair next week are reaching out to Kokomo residents looking for work.

May 25, 2012
Deputy prosecutor facing two charges
A Howard County deputy prosecutor will face two drunken-driving charges in connection with a traffic stop in Cicero.

May 25, 2012
Governor honors student
A Northwestern High School senior achieved a milestone Thursday when he became the first Indiana student ever to win both of the state’s top science awards.

May 25, 2012 1 Photo
Taylor considering staff reductions
A decline in enrollment has forced Taylor School Corp. to consider staff reductions, but the board won’t vote on the issue until next week, officials said Thursday.

May 25, 2012
Schools among top 20 in Indiana
Three area schools were ranked among the top 20 in Indiana this year by U.S. News and World Report.

Tri-Central Middle/High School, Eastern Junior-Senior High School and Tipton High School all made the list, which was an evaluation of 379 high schools across the state.

May 25, 2012
Library starts iPad rental program
Apple can’t make enough iPads to satisfy demand, but the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library now owns 15 iPad2 units.

Thursday, social media-conscious library patrons scrambled to borrow the tablet computers, on the first official day of the library’s iPad lending program.

May 25, 2012 1 Photo
Gov. names NW student 'Mr. Science' for 2012
Tyler Barnes becomes first Indiana student to be named Indiana's Top Young Scientist and Mr. Science.

May 24, 2012
More Local News Headlines

Local News

Search Results

Related Photos

Discussion

Camping out for bargains

Black Friday a family tradition

Site Map

Contact Us