Retail rush: Shopper and deals in abundance | Philadelphia Inquirer

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Friday, November 27, 2009

Retail rush: Shopper and deals in abundance

Inquirer staff writer Maria Panaritis reports from King of Prussia Mall:

At the East coast’s largest mall this morning in King of Prussia, shoppers turned out in abundance for the annual Black Friday ritual of bargain hunting.

King of Prussia general manager Bob Hart said that in the first four hours alone, between 5 and 9 a.m., there was a double digit increase in the number of shoppers walking through its doors over the same time last year.
“It’s been a very strong morning,” Hart said. “We’re even up over 2007.”

The fragile economy, while still on many people’s minds and influencing how much they would spend on gifts this year, apparently was not stopping thousands from turning out at King of Prussia and other stores across the region.

Dental assistant Karen Baynes, 36, of Kensington, was in line at midnight at Toys ‘R’ Us on Aramingo Ave. in Port Richmond before going home for a few hours rest and turning out at 4 a.m. at King of Prussia.

Baynes said it seemed like “a thousand” other people were waiting in line with her for what she described as fabulous discounts on toys at the Port Richmond store.

She walked out of Toys 'R' Us with five bags of gifts, including a Baby Alive doll on sale for $39.99, marked down from $99.
“Everyone else was sold out of them,” she said.

Baynes also said she found great deals at King of Prussia, where she and her three children walked out with bags from JC Penney, Forever 21, Hollister, and Aeropostale.

Read more breaking news in our From The Source blog.

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