EARLY BIRDS GET IN LINE FOR DEALS; AREA STORES DECLARE BARGAIN HUNTING NOW IN SEASON AS SHOPPERS FLOCK TO NEARBY MALLS.

Byline: Teresa Jimenez Daily News Staff Writer

It was the shopping day after Thanksgiving - the granddaddy of them all - and veteran and rookie shoppers alike were prepared to attack the stores with a game plan.

Before dawn, women traveling in teams or dragging their husbands along lined up outside the local Kmart for a Sesame Street bonus giveaway and House of Fabrics for decorations and supplies.

And if you planned it right, shopper Lisa Andrews said, you had enough time to get to Target for its 7 a.m. free children's gift or for Mervyn's huge holiday sale.

``I've got four kids, so I had to escape,'' said Andrews, who had made several stops by 10 a.m. ``I set the alarm, oh yeah. At 4:30 a.m., I was up. I have twins and I had to feed them before I left. I'll do it again after Christmas. One more shot, why not?''

Or, you could have spent the early morning hours waiting outside Kay-Bee Toys. By 8 a.m., the store, inside the Valencia Town Center Mall, had a line five storefronts long of people waiting their turn to enter the store. And once inside, shoppers stood in a similarly long line to pay for the toys they'd selected.

Susan McGrane, a Valencia resident, ventured out - late by some shoppers' standards. At 7:10 a.m., she joined the Kay-Bee line that began forming at 5:30 a.m.

``I don't usually come out, but I need to send these Back East for Christmas,'' McGrane said, pointing to several sacks of toys for her grandchildren. ``But it was fine. No one was grouchy. And I made friends with the people in line.''

But others, such as Yvonne Mojica of Saugus, took one look at the line and decided it was time to head home.

``There were some things I wanted to get, but just to save $2 - it didn't seem worth it,'' Mojica said.

Karen Morrison of Newhall sat on a bench outside Mervyn's with a half-dozen bags surrounding her by 10 a.m., waiting for her husband to bring the car over for loading.

She figured it was a successful mission. Most of the shopping was done, they saved some money and they avoided at least some of the crowds, Morrison said. Still, Morrison said she had to wait in the cashier's line for more than an hour.

``I thought we did pretty good - although my husband doesn't agree,'' Morrison said. ``We got popcorn, slippers, jackets, crochet thread and patterns and kids' clothes. We probably saved $125.''

Others, however, treated their Friday morning shopping as less of a mission and more of a social romp. And, many people said, it's a holiday weekend tradition, just like turkey, mashed potatoes and leftovers.

Meledy Bryant and her mother-in-law, Lorraine Gordon, were already loading the car by 9 a.m. - with their first round of purchases - and chatting away. It was early yet.

``I decided the way to get to know my daughter-in-law was to go shopping with her,'' said Gordon, visiting from Long Beach.

Bryant grinned.

``My husband thought I should take the day off because he figured I'd save money if I shopped today,'' Bryant said.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

PHOTO (1--color) A shot at first-come, first-served bargains had determined shoppers lining up on Friday outside stores at the Valencia Town Center.

(2--color) Alice Chavez waits in a line that stretches out of the store to buy gifts at Kay-Bee Toys.

Terri Thuente/Daily News