Storming the shopping malls

The report from the day after Thanksgiving, one of the busiest shopping days of the year:

Huge crowds, sometimes torrential rain, jammed parking lots and police being called to a few Wal-Marts — two for disagreements that arose among shoppers over bargain-priced laptops, the other for a bomb threat that forced an evacuation but nothing more.

The day after Thanksgiving has been called Black Friday — not as in the title of a horror movie but as a term used by the retail industry for this historically busy shopping day when stores can change the color of their bottom line for the year from red to black.

Friday gave stores an early insight into what consumers want this year.

At the Wal-Mart stores in Renton and Puyallup, what consumers wanted was a laptop — so much so that it led to pushing and shoving and additional police officers being called in to assist off-duty officers providing security.

Wal-Mart had launched its holiday campaign the day after Halloween, calling it the company's "earliest and most aggressive" holiday launch. But in Renton, some customers became aggressive and overwhelmed the electronics department within an hour of the store's 5 a.m. opening. The draw: HP Pavilion laptops, 40 of them selling for $378 each.

At the South Hill Wal-Mart in Puyallup, a crowd of hundreds was getting edgy by 4:45 a.m. When the doors opened 15 minutes later, shoppers converged on a pile of $378 laptops. People screamed, one witness said.

People at the back of the line pushed forward and two women were knocked down, said Lorri Ericson, a Puyallup Police spokeswoman. Police responded and will send their report to detectives, she said, but the incident wasn't captured on store security cameras. No serious injuries were reported, she said.

Christi Gallagher, a national Wal-Mart spokeswoman, said the most excitement was caused by two people shouting at each other. She said, "From time to time, our customers get very excited about the prices we're offering."

At the Wal-Mart in Lynnwood, there was a noontime bomb threat, and the store was evacuated. The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office and the State Patrol investigated but found nothing, and the store eventually reopened.

Stephanie Hicks thought about avoiding the rain and heading to Bellevue Square, closer to her Eastside home. "In the end, the tradition of going downtown won out," she said.

At the Tulalip Reservation near Marysville, shoppers scurried back and forth to their cars in the rain with bags of items bought at Seattle Premium Outlets, which was in the midst of a 24-hour midnight-to-midnight shopping marathon.

Susan Carlassara from Canada got a $120 pair of running shoes for $40. "In our news, we heard this morning that the stores were opening quite early, and 'don't drive to Seattle.' But the border [crossing] was great," she said.

U.S. consumers are expected to spend $435.3 billion this holiday season — a moderate 5 percent bump versus a year ago.

One of those helping with that bump was Connie Kieling of Bothell. Last year, she said, she didn't have a job. This year, after visiting just a few stores at Pacific Place in Seattle with her two teenage daughters, she had spent about $400.

Karen Crosby of Maple Leaf, her 12-year-old daughter, Sarah, and a friend took the bus downtown to see the parade, have hot chocolate and ride the carousel — but not to shop.

It's an annual tradition for the family.

"We want to prove you can have fun without spending any money and consuming things you don't need," Crosby said.

Growing up in Everett, Crosby said, she remembered driving south on Highway 99 to Seattle with her parents to check out the Christmas decorations.

"The point wasn't to go shopping but to have fun," she said. "Things were simpler then."

Shoppers dodged chilling rain and sidewalk decorations that included sparkling snowflakes and toy soldiers to reach Bellevue Square, where finding a plum parking spot in the mall's enormous garage grew increasingly tricky around lunchtime.

Elizabeth Chapin, a greeter at the Apple computer store, said the store had been packed since 7 a.m. Shoppers streamed out with speakers, iPods and other Apple items rarely on sale. Elsewhere, shoppers mobbed espresso stands and rested their feet on every available horizontal surface.

Pearl Ono of Pearl City, Hawaii, arrived at the mall around 8 a.m. Four hours later, she had several bags over her arms — including some gifts for herself.

"That's the bad thing about Christmas shopping," she said. "When I get something for someone, I get two for myself!"

Those able to find the entrance to the new skybridge across Bellevue Way wandered over to the recently opened Lincoln Center shopping mall, many pausing to gaze down at traffic, holiday decor and shoppers trying to dodge raindrops.

It was a parade of umbrellas on the corner of Sixth and Pine in Seattle. Despite the weather, the line to see Santa at Nordstrom was still two hours long.

Julie Allyne arrived with her adult daughter Jamie when Macy's opened its doors to get a head start on holiday shopping. Though they live in Bellevue, they prefer downtown for their first shopping outing because of the parade.

"We are those embarrassing people who get here at 6 a.m.," she said. "It's part of our tradition."

Walking amid the crowds outside Pacific Place, James Brock, 48, said he finished up his cards and shopping on the Internet weeks ago.

"I just like to be around the crowds," said Brock, who was raised on a homestead in central Alaska. "Even after living 30 years in Seattle, it still inspires me to see so many people enjoying the holiday spirit. It's a great way to kick off the holidays."

Stephen Douglas was ringing his bell for the Salvation Army outside Nordstrom. Last year, he said, he would collect a donation every minute. This year, things were slower. "Maybe it's the weather, because it's definitely quieter this year," he said.

Things were also slower at the carousel. "No lines or crowds like last year, but people are still having a fun time," said Glenn Westendorf, who was manning the ticket booth.

Seattle Times staff reporters Karen Gaudette, Josh Goodman, Sara Jean Green, Monica Soto Ouchi, Christopher Schwarzen and Diane Wright, and researchers Gene Balk and Miyoko Wolf contributed to this report. Material from The Associated Press is also included.