Many stores — including Target, Best Buy and Sears — decided to open their doors on Thanksgiving rather than early Friday, with most citing an increased demand by consumers to shop earlier as the reason behind the move.
The National Retail Foundation predicted 33 million shoppers nationwide would head out to stores Thanksgiving Day, and 140 million people will shop over the holiday weekend. That’s slightly less than the 147 million who planned to shop last year.
Before noon no shoppers had lined up at any Springfield stores except Best Buy. At Best Buy, only two women braved the early cold to score some deals. But by 6 p.m. Walmart on Bechtle Avenue appeared packed and about 30 people stood in line at both Target and Best Buy.
Erin Higuera said she persuaded a friend to stand in line with her at Best Buy on Bechtle Avenue so she could buy a TV and a camera. She said with two teenagers at home, “things get more expensive, and you got to try to get the best deal.”
She was surprised when she pulled up at the Best Buy just before noon Thursday and found no one in line. That gave her the advantage, she said.
“People can call me crazy but there’s a lot of people out there who are saying to themselves, ‘I wish I was (her) right now because they wish they were in my spot,’ ” Higuera said. “No. 1, baby.”
Springfield stores like Kmart and Meijer that opened in the morning were busy throughout the day with shoppers looking to find early Thanksgiving Day deals.
“We’re as busy on Thanksgiving as we are on Black Friday,” said Linda Elkins, a manager at Kmart, 1476 Upper Valley Pike.
The Toys “R” Us in Miamisburg opened at 5 a.m., attracting lines by mid-afternoon from across Southwest Ohio. Amber Shivadecker of West Chester grabbed Mexican burritos for breakfast so she could be in line at Toys “R” Us by 11 a.m. to get an interactive toy dog for her daughter at a 60 percent discount.
“That was our Thanksgiving dinner,” she said.
Tina Antle of Centerville also camped out in front of Toys “R” Us, while her husband waited in line at a nearby Best Buy store. Antle said she has hit the annual Black Friday sales for the past five years because it saves the family money.
“This year we skipped Thanksgiving because of the earlier hours,” Antle said.
Danny Cobian, a Springfield resident, was the first person in line at Target, 1885 W. 1st Street, at 5 a.m. Thursday morning. He was joined by his wife, Suzy Cobian, later in the morning.
The family celebrated Thanksgiving around lunch time, she said, before joining her husband in line.
“I brought him food,” Suzy Cobian said.
They sat bundled up in blankets while sitting in lawn chairs outside the store to buy electronics. They were joined by their 10-year-old son, Matthew, who played video games while they waited.
“I get bored, but I like it,” he said.
Suzy Cobian, a California native, said she has shopped on Black Friday for the past 20 years. She planned to shop at the Elder-Beerman at Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek later in the evening.
It doesn’t take away from the Thanksgiving holiday, she said.
“We’re doing it with family,” she said.
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