Crowds unfazed by cold, slump

Neither the economy nor temperatures in the mid-30s were able to keep hundreds of people from lining up outside Target, Wal-Mart, Sears and Best Buy stores in the wee hours on Black Friday.

“I’ve got on two pairs of thermal underwear, two pairs of socks; I’ve got on two coats and two longsleeve shirts,” said Tiffany Stewart, who waited in line outside the Target in North Little Rock from 3:30 a.m. Friday until the store opened at 5 a.m.

The extra layers paid off. Stewart of North Little Rock went home with a 40-inch flat-screen TV - a combination birthday and Christmas present for her husband, she said.

Erin Hairston of Sherwood said she always finds ...