TOPSHAM

Plummeting temperatures did not stop Aaron Thurlow, 14, from shopping on Black Friday. At the front of a line that ran down the length of the Target building in Topsham and out into the parking lot, Thurlow arrived at 4:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving to secure his spot.

“I’m here for the shopping and for the fun; I like the running around and the chaos. The waiting is my least favorite part,” he said.

At 11:45 p.m., it was 22 degrees with winds gusting up to 29 mph, and the doors would not open until midnight.

The parking lots were full at most of the large chain stores and festive Santa hats and reindeer antlers dotted the lines outside Target, Best Buy, Dick’s and the Game Stop. A few patrons brought folding chairs to ease the long wait.

The high point of the shopping year, the National Retail Federation has reported that 140 million people nationwide are expected to shop over the Black Friday weekend. On Black Friday itself, it’s estimated that three out of 10 shoppers will be queued up at stores at midnight to secure the extreme sales the day is known for.

“I usually don’t shop at all, but the deal on TVs is pretty good,” said Brandon Deaton. His first Black Friday shopping experience, Deaton arrived at Target at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. “We’re saving $370 on the TV. I’ll wait six hours to save that much money,” he said.

Ashley Carr, who has been shopping Black Friday for three years, said, “It’s been cold and miserable, but the benefits are totally worth it once its over.” Shopping for herself and others, Carr said, “Everyone else is in their homes, but they’re just going to spend $400 more later for the same TV.”

The success of Black Friday has spiraled over the past eight years. Prior to 2005, Black Friday routinely was the 5th to 10th busiest shopping day of the year. Since 2005, it routinely has the highest recorded number of sales for a single day, with last year’s net topping $59 billion, up more than $7 billion from the previous year.

Jamie Baine, who drove to Target from Richmond, is a veteran Black Friday shopper. “It’s a family tradition, we’ve been doing this for four or five years.” Having just arrived from Richmond a few minutes before midnight, Baine, is at the back of the line.

“It’s an all day shopping event it just starts early. Next its the outlets in Freeport and then down to Portland,” she said.

The term “Black Friday” signifies the day major retailers become profitable over the course of the calendar year. Other folklore says the term may have originated in Philadelphia. Reportedly the moniker was coined by the Philadelphia Police Department to whom fell the task of managing traffic as shoppers swarmed the streets the Friday after Thanksgiving.

In 2008, Black Friday suddenly turned violent when a Walmart employee was trampled to death by an impatient crowd in Stream Valley, N.Y. That wasn’t the only incident of the day. Two shoppers were fatally shot in a Toys R Us in Palm Desert, Calif.

At Walmart, employees are stationed throughout the store while others patrol parking as cars overflow into neighboring lots. Shopping carts piled past eyelevel forge ahead down isles.

Aside from quiet harumphing as carts bottleneck around corners and customers who decided to go cartless dart between the wheels, foot traffic is civil and as orderly as possible given the turnout.

Inspite of its murky recent history, Black Friday is a day that provides much needed financial relief for holiday shoppers.

Rick Smith, a Walmart employee, is starting his nine-hour shift at midnight. Smith, who has worked Black Friday for the last four years said, “This is the busiest I’ve ever seen it. Everyone is out looking for a bargain.”

rgargiulo@timesrecord.com