Shoppers line up before the sun came up this morning at one of the entrances to McRae’s department store at Pemberton Square mall. (Brian LodenThe Vicksburg Post)

[11/26/04] Droves of people lined up at Vicksburg stores before sunrise this morning to start the holiday shopping season.

Among the first to open was Fred’s Super Dollar Store, 3427 Halls Ferry Road, where about 30 people were waiting when the store opened at 5. In 15 minutes, the store was filled with people and the sounds of the cash registers. Lines backed up nearly halfway into the store as shoppers waited beside carts filled with Christmas loot.

“If you want to get something you’ve got to get out here early,” said Pam Collins, one of those who waited in line.

Sisters Janice Smith and Andrien Cassell and their friend Trisa Brown also hit the stores early this morning, hoping to finish their holiday shopping in one day.

After about 30 minutes, the trio left with a loaded basket and arms full of presents for their children.

“You get the bargains then,” Smith said. “We started like 5 and probably around 11 or 12, we’ll be finished.”

Some people were on a hunt for prizes. Among those was Janice Busby who waited outside McRae’s at Pemberton Square mall with about 100 others just before 6.

“I want to win that $1,000 shopping spree,” Busby said of the store’s annual giveaway. “I’ve already done my Christmas shopping, most of it anyway. I’m just here to see what’s on sale.”

There was no big opening at the Wal-Mart SuperCenter on Iowa Boulevard, which is open 24-hours a day, but the parking lot was full by 7 this morning. One reason may be that the city’s only toys-only store, KB Toys, closed its outlet in Pemberton Square this year.

Marty Elam said he started out his day at Wal-Mart, but decided to give up fighting the crowds there and moved across U.S. 61 to Pemberton Square.

“I won’t make that mistake again. There’s people there been in line since 3 a.m. in the electronics department,” Elam said as he left Electronics Boutique at the mall.

The day after Thanksgiving is historically one of the busiest shopping days of the year, and many retailers advertise big sales and open early to entice shoppers.

Crowds weren’t as thick at Vicksburg Factory Outlets, which opened at 8. But by 9, shoppers who had started on the other end of town were making their way to the outlets.

Another set of sisters, Penny Gibson of Houston, Texas, and Linda Holdiness of Vicksburg started the morning at 5:30 and had already been to both shopping centers. They said shopping on the day after Thanksgiving is something they usually like to do together.

“It’s a tradition,” Gibson said.

“My husband usually gets up and goes hunting and we go shopping,” Holdiness said.

Eva Washington said shopping today isn’t a tradition for her, but she left her home in Port Gibson at 4 to hit Wal-Mart and other local stores.

“I usually wait until later, but this year I decided to fight the crowds,” Washington said. “I did pretty good.”

Washington said she was able to save some money by taking advantage of the sales and promotions.

Stores across the city are planning extended hours most weekends between now and Christmas and some will have special hours for the week before. Some downtown stores opening later this morning were also planning extended hours for the holidays.