Christmas shoppers brim with optimism

More importantly for the businesses, there were plenty of takers.

"I am looking for soccer sneakers," said Lynne Kunis walking out of an Adidas store at Miromar Outlet Mall. "I just found socks and shorts and I think they were a good bargain."

It was the search for good prices, Kunis said, that persuaded her to battle the crowds on one of the most hectic shopping days of the year.

"It's the day after Thanksgiving so I figure I am getting a good deal," she said. "That's why I always end up buying stuff I hadn't planned to or wasn't looking for. Because you get bargains today."

Even those who thought the bargains were sporadic seemed to be spending money.

"A few of the stores have bargains but there aren't that many," said Halley VanderHeyden, 17, out shopping with her friend, Jackie Jobst, 18.

That, however, didn't stop either girl from buying several bags full of clothes, sweaters and shoes.

Store owners and managers said the first day of the official holiday shopping season seemed to be going well. That's important to retailers because the day after Thanksgiving is widely viewed as a barometer of how the rest of the all-important holiday shopping season will go.

"If I were to guess based on today, I would say it's going to be a good shopping season," said Candy Karaszi, manager of Claire's Accessories. "It's been really busy and things are picking back up after the last couple years."

Brenda McCann, team leader at the Target store on U.S. 41 in Bonita Springs, agreed.

"We beat last year's sales two days this week, and it looks like we will beat them again today," McCann said. "I have no doubt the economy is doing well and it's bringing lots of people in."

How many? Enough to make co-worker Ned Spencer roll his eyes.

"But it's been fun," he quickly added.

The most popular gift items, McCann said, were toys and electronics.

One of the people buying both toys and electronics was Julie Marchetti of Estero. Her cart filled with board games, candy and DVD players, Marchetti said she had started shopping at 7:30 a.m. and already been to Kmart, Radio Shack and K B Toys. At 11:30 a.m. she was almost done, she said.

While she was spending money, she was being a little more careful than usual and planning her shopping out in advance, Marchetti said.

"I feel there is still an uncertainty about the economy because of the war," she said. "So I am trying to be a little more conservative."

Not Jo Pollock and Sally Dickey. The Bonita Springs residents not only came out themselves to hunt for bargains but also brought their husbands along.

"I am looking for bargains because it's the day after Thanksgiving and there are deals to be found," Dickey said. "But I am not spending any less because of the economy. I think it's doing just fine and it will get better."

In Collier County, the Delaney family was the first to arrive in line at the North Naples Wal-Mart -- 3 a.m. The next customer came a half hour later.

But by the time the doors opened at 6 a.m. the line of people stretched from wall to wall. Hundreds were waiting. And once the doors opened, electronics and toys started going fast.

The hyped LeapPads weren't as popular as the remote-controlled Hummers, and the Hokey Pokey Elmo doll wasn't around. But bikes for $40, grills, Nintendo GameCubes, DVD/VCR combos and car DVD systems littered many carts.

The early birds got the deals, but people kept coming. When the sun started to rise around 6:30 a.m. the store didn't have many shopping carts left. And while some people made their purchases and moved on to the next store, others stuck around to explore the less popular departments.

Dominic Delaney, 31, along with his wife, Amy, 26, and sister, Jennifer, 24, didn't dawdle though. With four kids, they had a plan.

Dominic Delaney headed for the toys, while Jennifer and Amy went for the electronics.

With two carts in hand, Dominic Delaney was one of the first people to the toy section. He was beaten by a running child.

It helps that Delaney knew the store. He works there.

Delaney grabbed a Hummer car, packs of board games and miniature cars. He needed two carts. The L'il Wrangler car took up a lot of space.

In five minutes, Delaney was headed to layaway, where Amy and Jennifer were already waiting with DVD players and a vacuum.

"That's it for us," Dominic Delaney said.

Ten minutes later, the trio left for Toys "R" Us.

"Hey, that's a record," Amy Delaney said of their 15-minute trip.

Parents were out in full force. At Target, mothers were pushing strollers and pulling shopping carts. And grandparents mused over the right toy to buy.

The aisles around electronics and toys were jammed, but the book aisle was surprisingly empty.

The checkout lines in Toys "R" Us stretched to the back wall.

But for Dominic Delaney, his kids were worth it.

"We have a little one who's going to love that," Amy Delaney said of the L'il Wrangler.

Naples-resident Maurice Lerch, 72, had marching orders from his wife.

He arrived at Wal-Mart at 3:30 a.m. to get a bike. Minutes after the store opened he had the bike and was headed out. His next stop was Kmart. A doll and miniature trucks were left on his list.

At the Coastland Center mall, things didn't get going so early, but by 8 a.m. the shoppers started arriving. And outside the new Abercrombie & Fitch store, which opened Friday, about 50 teenage girls waited as more streamed in.

Discounts no longer mattered.

Staff Writer Kathryn Helmke contributed to this report.