Deals, deals, deals for Black Friday early-birds

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Cookware for 75% off? Check. Banana Republic clothes for 50% off? Done. Free mp3 player with a $20 Old Navy purchase? Got it. If shoppers at the Citadel Outlets late Thanksgiving night were Santa Claus, they’d be crossing names off their list. Fast.

Hundreds of coffee-toting shoppers braved traffic and parking jams to navigate the maze of stores that opened at 11 p.m. for Black Friday. Some, like Jasmin Maldonado, 20, even planned to shop all night and drive straight to work at 6 a.m. -- with the help of ‘a good Thanksgiving dinner, and Starbucks.’

The Target sales associate from Pico Rivera stood near the front of a massive line outside KB Toys around 10:30 p.m. to be one of the first to grab a Princess Vanity mirror and table for her 18-month old daughter, Savannah.

‘You have to pinch your pennies here and there, and that’s why we’re here,’ she said. But Maldonado wasn’t afraid to admit she planned to splurge a little on her wardrobe at Torrid. ‘If she (Savannah) is getting something, I’m getting something.’

Eateries including Auntie Anne’s and Ruby’s Diner stayed open late so shoppers could drop in for a quick bite. Ambitious shoppers were spotted clutching a pretzel in one hand and a jumble of shopping bags in the other.

But across town, at the Circuit City in Hollywood, half of the dark parking lot was empty around 12 a.m., and fewer than 40 people were lined up outside for the 5 a.m. opening.

‘I’m surprised there aren’t that many people,’ said Jose Perez, 20, who’s done his Black Friday shopping at the Circuit City for four years. ‘Last year, people were lining up in the parking lot. It was crazy. Last year, the economy was good. Now, you don’t see that many people.’

The economic slump hasn’t put a damper on Perez’s Black Friday spirit. He’s still gunning for cheap deals on a video camera, 250-inch flat screen and Playstation3.

‘That’s what everybody came for, they know everything’s cheap. Everyone wants to save money. You don’t want to go bankrupt like Circuit City.’

-- Catherine Ho