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But most overlook the deals at a lonely flea market Friday, even as they jostle each other for sale items at Wal-Mart.
By ABBIE VANSICKLE
Published November 27, 2004
LECANTO - Ken Taeger set up his booth early Friday morning at a flea market alongside State Road 44. He laid out bandanas, hung sweat shirts and set up a mechanical puppet show, just as he's done for years.
On this crisp morning, the day after Thanksgiving, a traditionally busy shopping day, Taeger had few customers.
He didn't seem surprised.
"I think Jeff Foxworthy said, "You know you're a redneck if you do your holiday shopping at a flea market,"' he said with a smile.
Taeger speculated that most people out shopping went to Wal-Mart Supercenter or the Crystal River Mall instead of flea markets.
A lot of people certainly did. From Big Lots to the mall, parking lots were busy early in the morning with people carrying packages and pushing overflowing shopping carts.
The day after Thanksgiving signals the start of the holiday shopping season for retailers throughout the country.
This year shoppers plan to spend close to $730 on gifts, which is about the same as last year's spending projections, according to a survey by the Gallup Organization.
Taeger is among those who go to Wal-Mart. He walks the aisles to scope out Wal-Mart goods to be sure his prices are lower.
"I always make sure all my prices beat Wal-Mart," he said.
In spite of his efforts, it looked as though most shoppers picked Wal-Mart instead of Taeger's booth Friday morning.
At 7 a.m., the Inverness Wal-Mart parking lot was nearly full. A trombone player greeted shoppers with holiday songs. The 24-hour store on SR 44 offered shoppers special sale prices from 6 to 11 a.m. Friday, according to a Wal-Mart advertisement.
The toy aisles were jammed with people.
From the Lord of the Rings wireless sword that promised to "Turn your TV into the epic battlefield!" for $41.86, to radio-controlled miniature Hummers or Cadillac Escalades for $99.62, to the Fairytopia Wonder Fairy Barbie for $17.74., a wide variety of children's toys filled shopping carts.
"Attention customers: We are out of the 20-inch girls bike," a voice announced about 7:30 a.m. It was one of the frequent sales updates piped over speakers throughout the morning, alerting shoppers to fast-selling items.
People were lined up at the registers, their carts already filled with toys, electronics and other gifts when Melissa and Amber Thompson arrived at 5:30 a.m. The women, both 21, are related by marriage. They racked up a $714.36 bill in two hours, but they left the store empty-handed - for now.
"Layaway," Amber Thompson explained, waving her receipt in the air.
"All of our stuff was on sale," Melissa Thompson said. "We only had to pay 10 percent today."
They paid $71.43 Friday and left their gifts at the store. They plan to pay off the bill and take everything home in time for holiday gift exchanges.
Their day of shopping wasn't over.
Kmart and the mall were the next stops, they said.
Away from the frenzy, at least one flea market vendor wanted a little of the holiday shopping madness to come his way.
"We need some buyers," Taeger said. "Even lookers would be good."
Abbie VanSickle can be reached at 860-7312 or vansickle@sptimes.com
[Last modified November 27, 2004, 00:50:23]
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