HispanicBusiness

Having crossed off so much from the list, she was now open to other possibilities.

"I've tried to stay focused and not get distracted," said Spurbeck. "But now I'm willing to see the things that will just catch my eye and lure me in."

By Patricia Montemurri, Free Press staff writer

Early birds shop with a strategy

6:45 a.m. -- Tiffany Kelly stood just inside the entrance at Great Lakes Crossing Outlets in Auburn Hills a little after 5 a.m. today, waiting and hoping to find one of the most sought-after items of the morning: A shopping cart.

The way she figured, someone might surrender a shopping cart before leaving the mall. Standing by the door, she'd be in the perfect position to pounce.

Kelly, who is 28 and lives in Windsor, arrived at the mall about 11 p.m. Thursday with two friends.

They hit the Disney store, cleaning up on $10 dolls.

They had good luck at Nike.

They had good luck at other stores, too, though at the moment their names escaped Kelly.

"I don't even know what I bought, I'm so tired," she said, a little bleary-eyed.

Still, her resolve remained strong: "I'm leaving with all my shopping done, that's all I know."

And then, while her friends were on a cigarette break, she scored: a shopping cart!

A short time later, three friends were on their way to finish their shopping.

"To me, it's worth coming," she said.

By Greta Guest, Free Press business writer

Deals bring out the inner children in Black Friday shoppers

For Jessica Edward, 22, of Warren, the deals at the Disney Store at Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights were unbeatable.

"The Disney Store had great deals for real," Edward said, coming out of the store with two large bags filled with items such as remote-control cars for $8, fleece throws for $8 and toddler dolls of the Disney princesses for $8.

There she and her sister Kim Edward, 19, of Warren were able to buy Christmas presents for six kids in the family for $85 with each kid getting two things.

The store, which opened for the first time at midnight, had many deals for under $20 including the toddler dolls for $10. With the 20% discount on everything in the store until 10 a.m. Friday, that became an $8 deal. Excluded items were DVDs and Disney park tickets.

Across the mall's parking lot, Kohl's opened at 3 a.m. to dancing and shouts of joy. Nadine Bauer, 34, of Windsor, Ontario, was so elated when the store finally opened. She had been out in the chilly night for two hours waiting in line for her first Black Friday shopping experience with three friends.

"We are just having a great time," said Bauer, as she scooped up loads of comforters and sheets for herself and friends from sale bins and admitted she didn't know how much they cost. The comforters were 50-60% off regular price, according to the Kohl's circular.

"I didn't know what color they wanted, so I'm just grabbing everything," Bauer said.

Amy Abdelnour, 23, of Chesterfield Township was standing guard by an overloaded Kohl's shopping cart just 10 minutes after the store opened. Her friend was continuing to grab items and bring them back to the cart.

It was stacked chin high with early bird deals on Shark Deluxe Steam Mops priced at $49.99 from $109.99, bar stools for $24.99 from $69.99 and wheeled duffel bags priced at $19.99 from $79.99.

Abdelnour, who was shopping Black Friday for the first time, was exhilarated by the experience.

"We both grabbed carts and ran in. It's like an adrenaline rush," she said. "We probably don't need it all, but it's such a good deal."

Her friend Lana Onciu, 28, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., who is visiting for the holidays, is a Black Friday pro. She even scanned each item before putting it in her cart to make sure it was the early bird deal.

"I feel really happy. I got everything I wanted," Onciu said.

By Greta Guest, Free Press business writer

Follow the latest deals with Free Press Shopping Columnist Georgea Kovanis, Business reporters Greta Guest and Zlati Meyer as they cover Black Friday throughout the day. They are on Twitter.com too @freepdeals.

Follow Georgea Kovanis on Twitter.com

Follow the Free Press shopping team on Black Friday for the latest bargains in Metro Detroit