BABES IN TOYLAND; SEASONAL SHOPPING STORM HITS CONEJO, SIMI MALLS.

Byline: Jesse Hiestand Daily News Staff Writer

The tornado of shopping activity that touches down each day-after-Thanksgiving hit Toys `R' Us at the Janss Marketplace in Thousand Oaks with particular fury Friday morning.

Customers packed a dozen deep in checkout lines, the incessant chatter of receipts being printed and marked-down toys practically flying off the shelves were enough to make Robert Kernochan worry that he and his family might never escape the retail frenzy.

``It starts out fun, but when you get in with all the crowds it really gets stressful,'' said Kernochan, 29, of Westlake Village, who was shopping with his wife and daughter. ``We were in there for over an hour, and I went back in and told them, it's time to come out. It was getting kind of nutty in there.''

Discount prices and a crisp autumn day were enough to rouse most shoppers from their post-turkey daze. Retailers at the Janss Marketplace and other shopping centers across Simi Valley and Conejo areas reported robust business Friday, and many shoppers said they plan to spend at least as much on gifts this holiday season as they did last year.

But whether it was the blanket advertising, special sales or burgeoning inventories, department stores and other large retailers appeared to reap far more business than the smaller, often family owned stores in their shadow.

But over at The Gingerbread House in Simi Valley, as bargain hunters swarmed a nearby Mervyn's, fewer than half a dozen customers picked through the collectibles, decorations and gifts, leaving employee Sue Hambly to hope business would pick up later.

``I think most shoppers are going to the malls first,'' she said. ``It will be heavy here this afternoon. They're still waking up from turkey.''

B. Dalton manager Deborah Lee saw about the same number of shoppers browsing through the bookshelves, but was optimistic that business would improve that afternoon.

Lee said she has already seen signs that this will be a good holiday season for retailers.

``We've had a lot of people who are buying large amounts of books, so you know they're doing their Christmas shopping early,'' she said.

Not everyone, however, wanted to jump the gun on the busiest shopping day of the year.

Louise Raimondi, 65, and her sister Josephine Tofel, 67, have for more than 20 years made a tradition of shopping together on the day after Thanksgiving. As usual, they dined together at Tofel's Simi Valley home on Thanksgiving and hit the streets the next morning at 6 a.m.

``When they have 70 percent off jewelry - 14-karat gold - you can't go wrong,'' said Raimondi, of Glendale, referring to a sale at a Kmart in Simi Valley. ``That draws us.''

Sales are not to be scoffed at when you live on a fixed income and have more than two dozen relatives to shop for, said Tofel, packing a bag from a Ross store into her car.

Others approached the day as they would a chore.

``I just want to get it over with,'' said 19-year-old Justin Hellendoorn.

Wearing baggy pants, earrings in both ears and a silver stud in his nose, Hellendoorn walked into the Mervyn's in Simi Valley clutching an advertisement for jewelry - gifts for his mother and girlfriend, he said.

A few people did their best to ignore what they saw as the day's crass consumerism.

Jessica Bortel, 11, and her 5-year-old sister, Elizabeth, wore floppy Santa hats as they prepared to sing in a choir at the Janss Marketplace on Friday. Their mother, Joann, said shopping was not on the family agenda.

``We want to remind people what the season is all about,'' she said. ``It's not just about buying presents. It's about Jesus, too.''

But for better or worse, the day after Thanksgiving is a reason to celebrate for many people.

``I was given an allowance and I thought I went over it, but I didn't, so I'm real happy about that,'' said Michelle Napier, 33, as she pushed a baby stroller full of gifts out of Toys `R' Us.

With 1-year-old Lindsay in her arms and the season's shopping complete, Napier reflected on their first post-Thanksgiving shopping spree together.

``It's the start of a tradition,'' she said.

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos

PHOTO (1--color) Tori Sather, 2, welcomes Santa Claus with open arms Friday at the Janss Marketplace in Thousand Oaks as the Christmas shopping season kicks off.

(2--color--ran in Conejo edition only) Michelle Napier of Thousand Oaks has her hands full with daughter Lindsay, 1, and a stroller full of toys at Toys `R' Us.

(3--color--ran in Simi edition only) Dahlia Gonzalez leaves Target with her son, Anthony, 2, after a fruitful shopping trip.

Michael Owen Baker/Daily News