
DATE: Saturday, November 29, 1997           TAG: 9711290236

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MICHAEL CLARK, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   81 lines

TO MALL, YOU ALL STRONG DEMAND FOR TOYS LEADS TO EARLIER SALES THIS YEAR.

Sitting on a bench inside Lynnhaven Mall on Friday, Linda Smith looked up at the masses of people milling around her and smiled.

``They're all interesting,'' she said. ``Every one has a story.''

Smith left her Sandbridge home at 5:30 a.m. Escorted by four house guests from Guatemala, she reached Value City on Witchduck Road by 6:10 a.m., she said.

``Then we got to Lynnhaven by 7,'' Smith said.

By 11 a.m., she was seated on the mall bench, guarding five shopping bags of holiday purchases by her Guatemalan guests while they waited in line at Kay-Bee Toys to buy more.

``They've been waiting an hour and a half,'' Smith said.

Long waits were the norm in several shops Friday, especially if toys were involved. That was expected; retailers look forward to the day after Thanksgiving to bring in throngs of shoppers.

No significant automobile tie-ups were noticeable on roads near most shopping malls. Morning traffic to and from Military Circle moved steadily despite construction on Military Highway.

Retailers were more concerned with foot traffic. ``It's one of the biggest days of the year,'' said Scott Krugman, spokesman for the National Retail Federation in Washington.

Brenda Turbeyville of Chesapeake and her sister, Pat Davis of Gretna, Va., were shopping at Military Circle - a ritual for them.

``We always have to go out,'' Davis said. ``It used to be Christmas Eve, now it's the day after Thanksgiving.''

Turbeyville and Davis had shopping bags filled with presents, but Friday was not the biggest day of the year for purchases.

``The biggest time of the year for ringing up sales is the last week before Christmas, particularly the Saturday before,'' Krugman said. ``And toys are always big.''

Shoppers have been buying toys earlier each year because the demand is great, said Kerry Cochran, store director for the Super Kmart in Virginia Beach.

``People are buying 15 percent more toys this year,'' Cochran said.

Toys were Stephanie Edwards' story Friday.

Edwards arrived at the Toys R Us on Military Highway at 8:30 a.m. By 9:40, she had a shopping cart loaded with toys for her two daughters.

``If you can get out early, you can get the best sales,'' Edwards said with a smile. ``These are only $4.99,'' she said, handing two children's bike helmets to the cashier. ``And these Barbies are $9.99,'' she added, giving two of them to the cashier.

The overflowing cart cost Edwards $375, $25 less than she had estimated.

Barbie is still a big seller, said the retail federation's Krugman. Other popular buys this year are Sony Playstations, Nintendo 64 and Star Wars toys.

``I think it's going to be a very good year for kids this year,'' Krugman said.

Children who receive a Sing & Snore Ernie might think so. But the hottest toy of the year, so far, is predictably hard to find.

Lori Gregory, sales associate at the Kay-Bee Toys in Military Circle, said a line of people was waiting to get into the store before it opened at 7 a.m.

``We didn't have any Sing & Snore Ernies, but we had 24 tickets for them, and people were fighting over them,'' she said.

Video games were selling well, Gregory said, but virtual pets were not.

Overall, the National Retail Federation predicts a 3.8 percent increase in holiday sales this year, Krugman said. He added that women's apparel will be among top gift-giving ideas.

Pat Davis knows what her husband is giving her for Christmas.

She bought it Friday.

``I bought it for him, and I'll give it to him and he'll give it to me,'' she said. ``He hates to shop.'' ILLUSTRATION: THE SHOPPING RUSH BEGINS

[Color Photo]

LAWRENCE JACKSON/The Virginian-Pilot

Linda Smith left her Sandbridge home at 5:30 a.m. By 11 a.m., she

was seated on a bench in Lynnhaven Mall, guarding five shopping

bags.

LAWRENCE JACKSON/The Virginian-Pilot

Shoppers crowd Lynnhaven Mall in Virginia Beach on Friday. A

national retailers group is predicting a 3.8 percent increase in

sales this season.