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Though the economy could have limited the number of Black Friday shoppers this year, management at the Beltway Plaza Mall in Greenbelt said they had a similar turnout to last year on Black Friday, and the Saturday before and after the notorious shopping day.

At about 10 a.m. on Black Friday, which is the name given to the day after Thanksgiving, Leona Sheets had her hands full with shopping bags full of future Christmas presents.

Though Sheets, of Colmar Manor, does her shopping year-round, she left the Books-A-Million, located inside the Beltway Plaza Mall in Greenbelt, with a book for her brother.

James Ridley of Greenbelt said he started his holiday shopping on Nov. 24 at Target when he bought a new television for himself. On Friday, he started hunting for specials around 7 a.m. The mall opened its doors an hour early, at 9 a.m., with neighboring stores Target and Marshalls opening several hours earlier.

"I went to Gallo [Clothing], Sports Zone and Target," Ridley said. "Next I'm going to the hardware store and then home to cool down because I'm tired."

Beltway Hardware Owner Barry Blechman said that the number of sales this year were comparable to last year's Black Friday.

"After looking at the sales figures, it looks like we'll make last year, but we won't be going ahead," Blechman said, adding that Beltway Plaza doesn't have the advertising push of some of the larger malls.

Proteus Bicycles in College Park also had a Black Friday sale, but owner Jill DiMauro said that their store's focus is on quality over quantity.

"We focus on good quality, high service, guarantees and no risk," DiMauro said. "The national obsession with low prices is not good for small businesses, because when things get discounted, people start getting fired."

DiMauro said that the store's turnout was down about 10 percent from last year on Black Friday.

Victoria Klark, marketing director for the Mall at Prince George's in Hyattsville, said that they saw a slight decrease in shoppers this year.

"It's all about value, offering some good promotions and strong discounts," Klark said. "People are still budget conscious, but they are still buying gifts for the holidays."

Greenbelt Police Spokeswoman Kelly Lawson said that Greenbelt was incident-free on Black Friday. Though there is a Greenbelt Police Substation at the mall and a dedicated parking space for police vehicles in front of Target, Lawson said the department does not increase enforcement for Black Friday unless requested. Has shoplifting/robberies been an issue there in the past?

Overall, Beltway Plaza Mall General Counsel Marc Kapastin said there was a good turnout of Black Friday shoppers.

"...On-site Mall management reported to me that Beltway Plaza Mall experienced very good foot traffic on Black Friday and throughout the weekend," Kapastin wrote in an e-mail. "The front parking lot was full and shoppers were observed laden with bags of purchased items."

E-mail Jordan Attebury at jattebury@gazette.net.