It is Black Friday -- the official kickoff to the holiday shopping season. Stores opened earlier than ever this year, some, on Thanksgiving night. That means some shoppers spent their holiday in line.
To get the best items and the best deals shoppers had to wait in long lines Thursday evening. At Target in Mishawaka, just before 9 p.m., the line of people wrapped around the building
"We've only been here since 8," said Gracie Neier.
There were hundreds of people in front of her in the line. And those shoppers weren't willing to wait all night -- luckily, they didn't have to.
"I would rather be out here at 8 at night than 4 in the morning," says Cinde Heston as she laughed. Heston was also in the Target line with her mom, Jill Burrows.
Target opened their doors at 9:00 pm on Thanksgiving evening. As most people were still home navigating their turkey dinners, dedicated shoppers were strategizing in parking lots. At Target, employees were handing out special Black Friday Maps.
As the line of customers made their way into the building, Julie Dalrymple and her family were cheering them on. "The plan is divide and conquer," says Dalrymple, "we made a list and everyone has got their location."
At Best Buy in Mishawaka, the doors were scheduled to open at midnight. Those shoppers had been camping out all day -- some since Wednesday.
Jonathan Martinez and his family stayed in a tent for much of the day. They arrived at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Thanksgiving morning.
"We get used to it, we take turns and bring each other food and drinks," says Martinez.
The real challenge for shoppers though, comes inside. Hundreds of people want the best, and least expensive items. Best Buy was selling 40 inch Toshiba televisions for $179.00 -- but there were only 50 in stock this morning. Employees say the TVs were gone in minutes.
Braxston Miller has it under control. Miller, a college student, got the TV he wanted and was able to head back in for a laptop.
But by far the best part for every shopper on this day is the savings.
"We're tallying up our savings and between me and my family, we are saving about $800, on this night alone," says Martinez.
