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By all appearances, the holiday shopping season kicked off in traditional fashion Friday: The promise of door-buster and early-bird specials beckoned from red-and-green signs, cash registers rang and cars circled parking lots, hunting for scarce spaces.
But there was an undercurrent of uncertainty. Though some shoppers interviewed said their holiday spending plans weren't taking a hit, others said they plan to stick to lists and hold the line on spending, even if they have jobs.
"Usually, I get people a couple things, and now it's just one," said Jennifer Caston of Charlotte, as she waited in line to buy toys Friday morning at Kohl's in Pineville. "It's all I could afford."
Caston, 22, said she's been getting fewer hours lately at her job at Pizza Hut. With her was Josh Cable, 23, who said his hours at a metal fabricating company have been cut, from about 50 a week to 32, and his yearly salary is half what it was.
So-called Black Friday used to be a fairly reliable predictor of what the rest of the biggest selling season of the year held for retailers, said Mary Delk, the Charlotte-based national leader for Deloitte's retail insights and analytics.
That fell apart last year, she said, when shoppers showed up on Black Friday but then stayed away much of the rest of the season, leading to dismal sales results and forcing numerous stores out of business. Nonetheless, Friday's results should still help signal what type of discounts it will take to get shoppers to spend, Delk said.
Holiday sales are expected to be flat this year. But stores are generally better prepared than in 2008, having ordered less inventory.
First on plenty of lists: Value. Teri Ross, 35, of Matthews, a stay-at-home mom of six, carefully planned her Friday, beginning at Target at 3:45 a.m., where she paid $17 each for three Razor scooters that regularly sell for $29. By 8 a.m., she was wheeling a nearly full cart through the Wal-Mart at the Galleria shopping center in southeast Charlotte, having found toys, slippers and items such as $7 children's coats.
Though her husband is employed, she said, she plans to buy less for Christmas this year because of the economy. "I figure if I buy less now, my kids will learn," she said. "I don't want them to grow up to be greedy."
Northlake Mall was a little busier this year than last, general manager Phil Morosco said. Stores that he'd checked with were seeing sales results about the same as last year at this point, despite the fact that the mall opened an hour later.
Inside the Pineville Kohl's Friday morning, two lines wrapped around the first floor. Sporting a Santa hat, Joseph Bechtel, manager of the Wisconsin-based chain's Charlotte district, pointed customers toward items and assured them the queue would move quickly.
The store opened at 4 a.m. to a crowd of about 500 people, Bechtel said.
Early-bird specials helped draw customers, he said, and they also seemed to be responding to basics, including turtlenecks, underwear, simple robes and coffee makers.
Shirley James of Charlotte hopes her Christmas shopping will be about the same as last year, but she's unsure: Her husband was laid off this year from his IT job at Bank of America. He found a new job about a month ago, but it pays less.
Deals help, she said while standing in line at Kohl's. And she's also focusing on useful gifts instead of gadgets. "You don't get sheets under the Christmas tree very often, do you?" she joked.
Also in line were Lisa and Evan Helms of Fort Mill, the parents of two children, ages 8 and 11. They plan on scaling back on holiday spending this year because money is tight, said Lisa, a dental hygienist.
"(It's) the not knowing," Lisa said. "We're both lucky. We still have jobs."
"But that could change tomorrow," said Evan, who works in sales.
