The lines to check out were so long in Kohl’s department store in Wilton Friday morning, Nov. 23, that shoppers couldn’t even see the registers.
I got up at 6 a.m., and I’ve been to two stores, said Mary DeAngelo of Saratoga, waiting at Kohl’s at 7:45 a.m. with an assortment of jewelry, women’s sweaters and kid’s Tony Hawk jeans. `I’ve been in this line at least 45 minutes, and I don’t see any end to it. But it’s worth it.`
Customers were reading newspapers in line, consulting lists to plot out their next destination, and chatting with their fellow line-waiters. Small children lucky enough to be in strollers dozed or took off their mittens to throw around in the aisles. Several people proudly sported pajama pants around Kohl’s, although with patches of black ice in the overflowing parking lots, no one was brave enough to venture out in slippers. End caps were prime browsing territory, filled with candles scented like sugar cookies, 2008 calendars with pictures of pets, and socks imprinted with blue snowmen.
`I’m going to have to call ‘Shopper’s Anonymous’ after this,` said Louise Hogue of Glens Falls.
Hogue was shopping for a Dirt Devil cordless sweeper, a Norelco razor and a remote-controlled SUV for her nephew.
`I picked up some impulse buys along the way, some woven gloves and a body lotion set for my son’s teacher,` said Hogue. `At least I haven’t bought anything for myself, not yet anyway.`
At Wilton Mall, kids didn’t seem to mind waiting in line to sit on Santa’s lap, and parents were busy snapping extra photos for holiday cards. Some of the young children not familiar with the jolly bearded man cried in their party clothes. Shoppers were seen around 9 a.m. with bags of purchases so heavy, they dragged them on the floor behind them as they walked one end of the mall to another, and at the Hickory Farms stand, a salesperson doled out samples of dried beef and cheddar cheese.
Malls weren’t the only places drawing bargain-craving shoppers. In Ballston Spa, the discount Job Lot store at the north end of town had ample parking, but crowded aisles that almost needed traffic directors. There were special sales including a `crazy dog hair dryer` for $9.99, a set of wooden bongos for $10.99, the Disney High School Musical board game for $13.99, and a 24-inch `artificial Colorado spruce` wreath for $5.00.
At Fischer’s Variety store on Front Street, one of the biggest sellers were authentic soda cans weighted and fitted with a secret compartment to store valuables. The Coke, Dr. Pepper and Sprite cans were selling out at $10 each.
Ed and Doreen Wright of Burnt Hills stopped in the Coffee Planet around noon for a coffee pick-me-up before walking around the downtown business district.
`We like the artist’s co-op, we look in the windows at the Bottle Museum, Ed looks in the comic book store,` said Doreen, who didn’t seem to be caught up in the frenzy of the biggest shopping day of the year. `It’s actually very relaxing to be shopping in the village. Who wants to stand in lines?“