Folks Already Lining Up For Black Friday Specials
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — It's Sunday -- or as some shoppers call it -- five days before Black Friday.
And KCAL9's Cristy Fajardo found people already lining up Sunday for deals.
She went to the Best Buy in Riverside and found several people -- about six in all -- camping out.
It looks like a tailgate party but it's not.
Anthony Lualemaga and his friends are taking turns camping out at the store. He already has his eye on a large screen.
"This year, it's going to be that 49-inch TV for $150," he said.
A line started forming last Tuesday.
Some of the people in line are standing there for themselves. Others are acting as placeholders for people paying them to camp out for the ideal spots in in line.
Best Buy is open on Thanksgiving.
"I've been first or second in line eight years straight," Lualemaga said.
Lualemaga has it down to a science. He buys $6,000 to 7,000 worth of merchandise for people. He racks up Best Buy rewards points and then uses those to cover the costs of Christmas gifts for his own family.
The electronics retailer is offering door-buster deals when much of the country will be recovering from a turkey hangover.
But in the same Riverside shopping center, other stores like Bed, Bath and Beyond and Marshalls will be closed on Thanksgiving and the national chain REI it taking it a step further being closed on Thanksgiving and Black Friday -- so that employees can be with their families.
Lualemaga admits his wife is not a fan of his lining up outside Best Buy.
"My wife gets bummed out because we never have a traditional Thanksgiving meal. I always get a to-go plate," he says.
Many of the large department stores -- like Target -- are opening Thursday and hope many consumers will be taking to-go plates.
And websites and apps are popping up to help bargain hunters, as well.
Dealsnews.com rates the best deals from electronics to clothing -- much of the offerings are online. But for those who opt to stand in line, if you wait until Thanksgiving you may be too late, Fajardo reported.
