Posted at: 11/27/2009 10:22 AM

Shoppers Out Early, With Practical Ideas

(AP) - One woman who was up before dawn today to look for deals at Best Buy says she's had to cut back her spending, since her hours as a food worker were trimmed back from 40 to 25 hours a week.

Robin Fryman says it's "definitely made a difference" in the way she shops. She bought a $300 camera for her daughter today for a sale price of $172. But aside from that, she says she's focusing mostly on practical items like clothing.

The store says some people started camping out with tents at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. They started handing out tickets for big items, like laptop computers and TVs, around 4 a.m. today.

Worries about jobs were on the minds of many shoppers, as they looked for big bargains and for practical gifts.

At the Macy's flagship store in New York, which opened at 5 a.m., dozens of women were rummaging through a bin of purses marked 40 percent off the original price.

The retail industry is headed into the holiday season with more practical goods on the shelves, reflecting shoppers' new mindset.

But with unemployment at 10.2 percent, many analysts think total holiday sales won't be better than last year's.