Store hours: A redux

In case you haven't caught up with local schedules in the paper, here's the skinny on some Potter-related store activities as we head into the evening:

* I'll be blogging live starting around 10 p.m. from Barnes & Noble at Friendly Center in Greensboro. We'll have a News & Record photographer on-scene earlier than that. The party starts at 7 p.m. Staff will start handing out books at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, first giving them to people who pre-ordered copies and then to people who stopped by during the day today to pick up admission bracelets without pre-ordering. I just talked to store staff, and there are still some bracelets left. But they're going fast. And if you show up after midnight, you're out of luck. The store will remain open until the last braceleted customer is served - likely between 1:30 a.m. and 2 a.m. The same goes for other area Barnes & Noble stores. The Greensboro store is expected a crowd of more than 1,000 people.

* Borders on High Point Road is running a similar system. Store employees plan to line up shoppers about 10 or 15 minutes before midnight, handing out books first to the customers who pre-ordered and then to the last-minute shoppers. You might get a book if you show up there late, but there are no guarantees the store won't run out. Borders expects to close around 1 a.m. The same goes for other area Borders stores.

* The UNCG Bookstore will reopen at 10 p.m. and start selling books at 12:01 a.m. The store is located in the Elliot University Center and offers the same discount as the big chains. (It's owned by Barnes & Noble.) Again, last-minute shoppers have to wait behind customers who pre-ordered their copies.

* Waldenbooks in Four Seasons Town Centre will be open until 2 a.m. Customers can walk in to buy a book up until closing time but, again, supplies aren't unlimited. The same goes for other area Waldenbooks locations.

* Area Wal-Mart Supercenters - which are open around the clock - also are hosting parties starting around 8 p.m. Books go on sale at midnight. You'll still have to fight the crowds, but there's not a backlog of pre-registered people here. Regular Wal-Mart stores are observing normal hours.

* Shakespeare and Co. Books in Kernersville will stay open until 12:30 a.m. for a book party. Call the store for details at 993-1050.

* Kmart on Bridford Parkway in Greensboro and on Huffman Mill Road in Burlington will be open until 1 a.m. for book parties.