Posted: 10:39 a.m. Friday, Nov. 27, 2009
Black Friday Shoppers Pack Stores; Secret Service Says Obama Wasn't In Danger From Party Crashers
By Veronica Waters
- Black Friday is in full force. Its nickname comes from the belief that the day's big sales usually push retailers' bottom lines into the black for the year. Metro Atlantans started camping as early as Wednesday night to be first in line for some deals. One KISS listener, Imara Canady, says he got to an Alpharetta Wal-Mart at 2:30 a.m. for a $198 laptop doorbuster deal--only to find out that the first people in line had arrived at 7:00 Thursday evening. At a Kennesaw Best Buy, at least one shopper had been waiting since Wednesday night for a flat-screen TV deal.
Shoppers are warned to be safe--to watch for crooks who might be watching you rack up purchases, and who could follow you to your car to mug you for them. - Retailers hope the worst sales the drop in decades won't repeat itself this year. Many stores are extending their hours in addition to giving big discounts. Still, the jobless rate is over 10% and many consumers are still struggling with tight credit--many analysts expect only a little improvement over last year, when the shock of the financial meltdown was fresh.
- The Secret Service says busy shopping days are when counterfeiters like to get fake money into circulation. Tim Huff of Tallapoosa got $600 worth of phony fifties when he cashed his check--at the bank. He says when he tried to take it back, they said no way, even though a bank employee acknowledged that the $50 bills were very convincing counterfeits. A Secret Service agent says bank clerks dealing with long lines, and anxious for a break or a meal, are often too distracted to notice fake bills.
- The Secret Service insists President Barack Obama was never in danger after a Virginia couple sweet-talked their way into the State Dinner cocktail reception--because they went through the same security steps as everyone on the guest list. They did not comment, however, on whether visitors are screened for radiological or biological weapons.
Bravo TV confirms Michaele Salahi was being filmed around Washington, but not on White House grounds, because she's being considered for the "Real Housewives of D. C." show, before she and her hubby crashed the State Dinner. She claims she and her husband Tareq (above, with Vice President Biden) were invited to the dinner, and Bravo says it had no reason to doubt it. Under this picture, she wrote on Facebook, "OMG! SO EXCITING!!!!!! IRISH EYES ARE SMILING TOGETHER!''
Reality TV star Omarosa Manigault knows the Salahis and said she figured out they crashed the party when she noticed that none of their Facebook photos went past the cocktail party--since they didn't have seats for the dinner. She says, don't blame the Secret Service, because they "are not bouncers for a fancy party. They are there to provide security for the president. It's up to the [White House] Social Office to provide the list and to make sure that that list is checked." The Salahis' lawyer insists the couple was invited and cleared. They are scheduled for Larry King Live Monday. - The first black president's first White House Thanksgiving began with calls to American troops overseas. President Obama called 10 servicemembers, two each in the Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, and Coast Guard, to thank them for their service. The Obamas had about 50 guests for the holiday dinner, which had traditional favorites including turkey, honey-baked ham, oyster stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and green bean casserole. Dessert was six types of pie--apple, banana cream, cherry, huckleberry, pumpkin, and sweet potato.
- The KISS 104.1 weather forecast: sunshine, with a breezy high of 54. Saturday, clear with a high around 62. Sunday, partly sunny, high of 64. Monday, a chance of showers and a high of 57.
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