Originally, she said she planned to go to Best Buy at midnight, but after driving home from a Thanksgiving dinner with her sister in Upper Marlboro, she came home — and woke up at 4 a.m.
After Best Buy, she said she planned to drop her sons off at home and head back out to Walmart.
Melanie Dorwart, of Towson, with her fiancé, Scott Gilley, of Bel Air, was shopping for electronics, cameras and iPods at Best Buy. The couple said they had never shopped on Black Friday before.
"I do all my purchasing online, so this is my first excursion into the real world," Gilley said. "I'm trying to get ideas for her."
They both said they were impressed with the appearance of the store after its midnight opening.
"I thought the store would be a wreck," Dorwart said.
"After opening at midnight, I thought they wouldn't have much selection," said Gilley.
They considered coming to the store at midnight after Thanksgiving, but "we had too much turkey and stuffing and were tired," Dorwart said.
Annual Tradition
By 6 a.m. at Target in Cockeysville, there was no sign of the rush from the night before.
Shoppers browsed well-stocked aisles, and plenty of Target employees stood by offering to help them. Customers moved quickly through registers with no lines.
Sisters-in-laws Sandra and Angie Robinson started their annual Black Friday shopping tradition there at 6 a.m.
"It's kind of quiet in here," Sandra Robinson said.
They planned to go to Walmart, Kohl's and Toys "R" Us looking for gifts for their kids. Angie Robinson said she bought two iPod touches at Target and got $40 gift cards with the purchase of each one.
"It's kind of fun to go out together and to brainstorm off each other," Sandra Robinson said.
After working a busy midnight to 4 a.m. shift at GameStop, Michael Shipley, 23, went out to do his own shopping. By 6:30, he had already been to Best Buy, Walmart and Kohl's. He said he found great deals at Best Buy on video games, Blue Ray DVDs and tablet computer.
"I couldn't find anything at Walmart. They didn't have many deals," he said.
Shipley said he never shopped on Black Friday before because he always had to work, but a couple of days ago, he and a friend from GameStop decided to head out after their shift ended at 4 a.m.
Target executive team leader Justin Bruner said the line wrapped around the store when it opened at midnight. Door-buster deals on three models of TVs were sold out in 15 minutes, he said.
"We were really busy with the initial rush, but since then it has been steady and not a mad house," Bruner said.
Sherry Ayers, of Mount Washington, said she woke up at 4 a.m. and thought, "'Oh, the stores are open and I should go in."
Ayers said "dad is at home with the kids and they are all sleeping."
She said she found deals on toys, CDs and video games for her kids — ages 4, 11, and 14 — including a Nerf gun and a pink cash register for her youngest.
Tracey Carpenter of Lutherville was shopping with her mom and two sisters, a regular Black Friday tradition.
"Everyone is together for the holidays and this is our thing, to go shopping," she said.
After Target, they planned to go to Starbucks and then Dick's Sporting Goods, the same route they took late year.
"Last year was crazy, now it's so quiet," Carpenter said, but she said she missed the typical early morning frenzy.
"I kind of like the chaos," she said.
She said she found deals at Target on a Nikon camera and fuzzy jackets for her nieces.
Huge wish list
Kristin Ridgely of Glen Burnie came to the J.C. Penney at Marley Station Mall on a mission to get presents and toys for her family — especially toys.
Her 6-year-old son, Zander, has a huge wish list.
"He gave me the entire toy book circled," she said. "He wants one of everything."
She arrived at the store about 6 a.m. Friday, saying she didn't like the idea of starting Black Friday on Thanksgiving.
She heard some people were lining up as early as Wednesday at some stores.
"It's absolutely insane," she said.
