AUBURN — Hordes of shoppers ushered in the Christmas season Friday by getting up early — a common time seemed to be 3:30 a.m. — and hitting the stores.

Long before the sun was up, parking lots were bustling at Best Buy, Kmart, Kohl’s, JC Penney’s, Walmart, Home Depot and more.

A few minutes after 6 a.m., Don Drouin of Leeds was in the Home Depot checkout line, his cart barely holding a large, four-burner outdoor gas grill.

Drouin seemed as happy as a man with new tools, grinning as he shared what he saved. “This usually goes for $299. Now it’s $179. They’re nice,” he said. Under the grill in his cart were tools. “This drill is $39. It’s usually pretty expensive.”

Drouin got up at 3:30. “I never do this.” His wife, Jean, was his motivation. “We’ll probably have breakfast then do a little more shopping,” she said.

A few feet away Peter Higgins of Greene was wheeling out two wet/dry vacuums he bought for $20 each. “They have a lifetime guarantee, 5 horsepower,” Higgins said. “They normally sell for $99. It’s a good deal, absolutely. You’ll see everybody going out with these things.”

Well, not everybody.

The store had about 125 of them when it opened at 6 a.m. Twenty minutes later they were gone.

At Big Lots, Joyce Michaud of Leeds looked like a seasoned early-birder, holding a flier in her hand looking for that special toy on sale.

She found the “Create-A-Story” software, which allows children to “direct” their own animations, for $20. It usually sells for $49.99. “It’s a good price. It’s for my granddaughter. It’ll be good for her.”

Most years Michaud doesn’t shop early on Black Friday because she was at work. This year “I’m unemployed,” she said. Price is critical, Michaud said. “I’m really shopping smart, looking for the right deals.”

New rules at Walmart

At Walmart early shoppers adjusted to new rules to promote safety after a New York worker was trampled to death last Black Friday. This year there were no long lines outside; the store opened at midnight so no one had to wait in the cold, said store manager Dale Brann. Shoppers after the hot deals lined up at different spots in the store and waited for 5 a.m. when the sales began.

Until 5 a.m., the specials were wrapped in black plastic with workers stationed at each spot.

At 4:45 a.m., Brandy Marchetti of Auburn stood in line for a PlayStation 3 console.

“We’ve been here since 9 p.m. (Thursday),” Marchetti said. She came for the PS3, which normally sells for $299, “but this one has two games and a movie,” saving her $139.

Marchetti usually shops early Black Friday, but normally doesn’t spend the night in line, she said. “If I don’t get one of these, I will be ugly, but I think I will. I am the front of the line.”

So was Kevin LeClair of Buckfield, who said he arrived at Walmart at 7 p.m. Thanksgiving. LeClair and his wife are veteran early-birders. “This is my sixth year. My wife’s done it 13 years.” She was in another line waiting to buy children’s pajamas for $3.

Kate Lydon of Lewiston was in line for a TomTom on sale for $89 that usually sells for $199. Lydon shopped early for the savings and “the excitement. I’m a Christmas freak. I really love Christmas. Two weeks before Thanksgiving I’m listening to Christmas music and in the spirit.”

When 5 a.m. arrived workers removed the black plastic and handed out the products to avoid rushes. The store grew busy. Shopping carts loaded with televisions, toys, computers, clothing and household goods moved around like bumper cars. By 5:30, lines of carts were jammed at registers like cars on the New Jersey Turnpike.

 Restaurants busy, too

Restaurants also benefited from more shoppers being out early.
Auburn’s Arby’s, which normally doesn’t serve at breakfast time, opened its drive-through at 8 a.m.

Dunkin’ Donuts was extremely busy, said manager Melissa Lazaro. A line of vehicles waiting for the drive-through went out to Center Street most of the morning, Lazaro said. When Dunkin’ Donuts opened at 4 a.m., “cars were waiting for us at the speaker.”

In Rumford,
Marden’s was scheduled to open one hour earlier at 8 a.m. But because shoppers lined up at the door, the store was opened at 7:30 a.m., said manager Roberta Wallace. One good seller was DeWalt work boots, industrial footwear. Another was gingerbread house
kits.

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A line about a 150 yards long forms outside Best Buy in Auburn at 5 a.m. on Black Friday as shoppers prepare to take advantage of bargains.

Nine-month-old Harley Melendez sleeps through the hustle of Black Friday morning as her mom, Denise Melendez, left, and her grandmother, Dorothy Teehan, load up the car after shopping at Walmart in Auburn. Melendez said the baby was not affected by the early morning shopping spree, and the savings were worth getting up early.

Auburn Best Buy sales associate Aaron Beaulieu assists Kelly Corriveau, center, in finding a digital camera on Black Friday.

Don Cloutier of Litchfield looks over the sale flier as he waits in line for the 6 a.m. opening of Home Depot in Auburn on Black Friday. Cloutier was hoping to buy a  $100 Shop Vac on sale for $20, “the $80 savings is well worth getting out here early,” he said.

Denise Melendez of Lewiston pushes a carriage with her 9-month-old daughter, Harley, while pulling a shopping cart leaving Walmart on Black Friday morning with her mother-in-law Dorothy Teehan. Melendez said the baby slept through the whole shopping experience. “It was well worth getting out of bed early, the bargains were great,” she said.