The business consulting firm Deloitte just released its annual holiday survey of shoppers.
It found that Black Friday has lost some of its luster with North Texas shoppers. Fifty-nine percent of people say they no longer rely on the day after Thanksgiving to knock out their big purchases.
Chopper 5 went up Friday morning to catch the crowds waiting for malls to open, but didn't find a lot of them.
However, NBC 5 did find a break-of-dawn-dash-for-deals at one North Fort Worth Cabela's, where the first-in-line spilled through the doors at the stroke of 5:00 a.m.
"You're looking at the Black Friday shopping crew," said shopper Catrina Kidd, standing in the middle of a crowd of her family.
She was among the hundreds of dedicated hunters, willing to start earlier and earlier to find the best deals.
"Yesterday afternoon or evening, well about 4:00 or 5:00 I guess, we went out,” Kidd said. “To shop! It's a family tradition at this point."
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And as the line stretched around the Cabela's store, a familiar ringing sound reminded shoppers of another kind of giving.
"Thank you, sir. Your kindness is only matched by your charm and beauty," Salvation Army Bell Ringer Danny Jacobus told a man as he tucked money into his traditional red kettle.
Jacobus knows how to have a little fun with his task.
"Merry Christmas, y'all! The ones with the sourest look are the ones who usually turn back around and surprise you. That's the way human nature is," Jacobus said.
He’s been ringing the Salvation Army bell for eight years, but this is his first year coming out with the early morning crowd.
"So far, so good,” said Jacobus. “I've only been here an hour and a half and the bucket's about half full."
He may have an advantage, given his white-bearded resemblance to a certain someone.
"Well, the kids come up and go 'who are you?' And I have to play it off and say 'I'm Santa's cousin!'" Jacobus said with a laugh.
And remember, when you hear that bell, he knows who's been good!
"You're the soul of kindness," Jacobus said with the dropping of another donation.
