Despite economic worries and Thursday night openings in neighboring states, consumers rewarded Massachusetts retailers and malls for opening earlier than ever yesterday, showing that Black Friday shopping has become as much of a tradition as turkey on Thanksgiving.
And elsewhere across the country — without the Bay State's blue laws to keep the holiday sacrosanct — crowds rushing the stores on Thanksgiving is becoming as common as gridiron tilts for millions, said the National Retail Federation, which expects holiday sales to climb 4.1 percent to $586 billion this year.
"I had no intention of buying a TV, but when I saw the deal it was too good to pass up," said Steve Abellard of Quincy, strapping a 60-inch Vizio to the top of his car early yesterday morning, along with his brother, who also purchased a TV.
Black Friday got off to a busy start at the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets, where a traditional 12:01 a.m. opening, which overcame a challenge by town police this year, had traffic backed up for miles as usual. The trend was self-gifting, with many standing in lines for hours to buy a coveted item for themselves.
"This year the discounts are better than last year," said Ravish Jain, 28, a software engineer from Rhode Island who was shopping for a PlayStation 3 at the Sony store and was among the first in line.
Black Friday shopping is a family tradition for Jeanne Dennis and her daughter — and it started in the womb. Dennis had a Nov. 29 due date for the now 31-year-old Heather Braccialarghe. "That was Thanksgiving weekend, and I was at Filene's Basement," she said. "Fortunately, she was two weeks late."
The two were among the throngs mid-morning yesterday at the Burlington Mall, which had lines at every entrance for its first-ever 12:30 a.m. opening. They were on their fourth stop, after a 5 a.m. start from Mashpee to shop at Braintree's South Shore Plaza, and Kohl's and Crate & Barrel in Burlington.
But Carlos Rodrigues opted to return home after arriving at midnight at Target in Dorchester's South Bay Center, where the line snaked around the corner.
"It was too crazy," he said, after returning in the afternoon. "I gave up quickly. Any deals the first people in line are going to get — not everybody."
Walmart boasted of its best Black Friday ever and downplayed demonstrations and planned employee walkouts at its stores in support of a campaign led by a United Food and Commercial Workers International Union-tied group.
"We are aware of a few dozen protests at our stores," spokesman David Tovar said yesterday. "The number of associates that have missed their scheduled shift today is more than 60 percent less than ... last year."
But groups of two to 30 demonstrated at all 48 Walmarts in Massachusetts yesterday, said Russ Davis of Massachusetts Jobs with Justice. "It's preposterous," he said of Walmart's response.
At Walmart in Quincy, throngs of shoppers jammed the aisles just after the 1 a.m. opening and carts were filled with big-ticket items.
Foot traffic was a bit more muted in downtown Boston later in the morning.
West Roxbury's Gina Huber and Patrick McDonough started shopping at 7:30 a.m., visiting Copley Place and the Shops at Prudential Center. Given the sluggish economy, they didn't plan to go overboard on big-ticket items this year.
