By Associated Press
Undated, AL – High gas prices around 3 bucks a gallon didn't keep early-bird shoppers away from stores across Alabama on Black Friday. The day after Thanksgiving is considered the start of the Christmas shopping season.
Nancy Tillman of Theodore said she and other family members car-pooled to Colonial Bel Air Mall in Mobile.
Stores from Huntsville to Mobile lured shoppers in as early as 4 a.m. with cut-rate deals on everything from clothing and toys to laptops and anything electronic, including 42-inch LCD TVs for under $800.
The National Retail Federation predicts holiday sales in November and December will rise 4 percent this year, falling below the 10-year average of 4.8 percent. It would represent the slowest holiday sales growth since 2002.
Besides higher prices for gas and food and problems in the credit market, retailer also face competition from online sales.
At the Galleria in Hoover, the state's largest mall, General Manager Bob Perry estimates that 30,000 shoppers entered the 200 stores at 5 a.m. He said up to 200,000 could visit the Galleria by the end of the day.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)