So-called “Black Friday,” an import from the United States in the offering of bargains after the Thanksgiving holiday, brought out hordes of shoppers who exhibited none of the rudeness and ill-temper of U.S. counterparts recorded on CNN and other international media.

Local shoppers appear less territorial and desperate than up north. Still, the national newspaper La Nacion recorded some complaints by the discount-seekers.

Most of them had to do with the lack of bargains on some sought-after items. Although major chains, such as Grupo M (Play, Importadora Monge, & Gollo) and Cemaco, have brought the custom to this country, other stores stubbornly maintained their regular prices on most items.

La Nacion reporter Evelyn Granados told of “weariness and desperation” at the retail outlets but it was a quiet kind of desperation, at that. For one thing, Costa Ricans are not all that accustomed to shopping early.

The very impulse that makes them chronically late to social events tends to stay the lash of feverish shopping. In short, many wait until the last minute to make holiday purchases and Dec. 22-24 tends to look like Black Friday in the U.S.

This is why, on Saturday, reporter David Vargas mentioned in the same newspaper that all had returned to normal and the number of customers in stores were much the same as usually found there.

Granados reported that Black Friday has yet to apparently trickle into the province retail scene. She quoted shopper Jacqueline Otarola as saying she traveled to Talamanca for gift purchases at a discount and was disappointed.

“Sale items were often old and out of date. The latest Barbie dolls weren’t on sale,” she said sadly. Heilyn Esquivel reported the same thing at Palmares. Jennifer Esquivel of Escazu looked all over for bargain Hot Wheels toys before finally finding them at a good price at the downtown San Jose Universal store.

Granados also reported long lines at the cash registers where the average wait, she wrote, was half an hour. But Juan Pavlo Mesen endured three hours waiting to get (at a good price) a flat screen TV only to have to wait another hour in line at the store in Zapote to show his receipt and receive the merchandise.

But Costa Ricans are, fortunately, accustomed to waiting in line.