Others headed out later this morning, as Target reopened at 7 a.m., followed by Best Buy at 8 a.m. Kohl’s and Walmart never closed after deals started last night.
Cabela’s started a five-day sale earlier this week, but for five hours this morning shoppers took advantage of deeper discounts like $10 jeans and fleece pullovers and $250 Remington Model 783 rifles.
At the helm of the rush was Kettering resident Wyatt Woodfin, who had been waiting since midnight.
“Last year I got here about 3 a.m. and (the line) was all the way wrapped around the building,” he said. “So I said, ‘I’m not doing that this year. I’m going to get here early.’”
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But this year the line didn’t get as long as early, Woodfin said, adding that it just started wrapping around the building at 4:30 a.m.
Yet it was worth the wait, he said. Despite the cold, he and his girlfriend just enjoyed being out.
Dane Dahlinghaus, who never went to bed last night so he and some friends could make the drive from Minster, also said that the wait was worth it for the deals.
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“I love Cabela’s. I love hunting, fishing, everything, so we’re just looking for some good deals,” Dahlinghaus said.
And there was no shortage of deals for the shoppers who turned out, with Jessica Dingman from the Hocking Hills area snagging the $99 shooting table she stayed up all night for.
“I might look for a few other little things, but so far, so good,” Dingman said. “Everyone’s been pretty polite all holidays.”
Darin Lunt of Springboro said he was surprised that he was able to get everything on his wish list after only waiting 10 minutes in line for today’s 8 a.m. Best Buy opening.
“It’s not nearly as chaotic as I thought it would be,” he said. “I think it’s spread out more, you know. People were here yesterday.”
Between three laptops and a television, Lunt thinks he saved at least $600.
But others who hit stores Friday morning were disappointed that doorbusters from the night before were mostly gone. Kerry McInstosh of Waynesville went to the Kohl’s early Friday morning, finding that most of the deals she wanted were gone.
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“I love Black Friday shopping, I used to love it more when it was just on Black Friday,” she said. “I love getting up in the morning; I love going out with my friends...but I don’t want to ruin my Thanksgiving with my family. They’re a little bit more important than shopping.”
By 8 a.m. Home Depot’s crowd had thinned out. About 150 shoppers stood in line, said store manager Linda Maes.
Shoppers still have time to grab $1 poinsettias and $80 Christmas trees from Home Depot should act soon.
"They stay until we're sold out," Maes said. "The bigger items like the poinsettias will definitely be gone, the trees will be gone by this weekend and most of the tools we have throughout the whole entire week. This weekend will be a big weekend for us."
Several customers had carts full of poinsettia plants, with Greg and Mary Colegate buying nearly 40. Mary went in around 6 a.m. and picked some up, then went back later in the morning when they decided they wanted more.
"It's cheap —cheaper than a Christmas card, cheaper then buying you a beer," Greg said.
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The couple used to enjoy Black Friday shopping when their child was young, but now it's not worth the hassle, Mary said, adding that sales shouldn’t start on Thanksgiving.
"It was fun when it was real Black Friday, they open at three in the morning. Now they'll open the doors at 5 o' clock on Thanksgiving...They're not cold, they're not out their freezing like the old days," Greg said.
Greg attempted to go to Menard’s this morning, but said he turned around as soon as he hit the parking lot.
"The line was down the building, across the parking lot, wrapped around furniture fair. There might have been 50 open parking spots in the whole lot,” he said. “For the hassle, for the 80 bucks I would have saved, I'd rather wait and get it later."
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