Black Friday Shopping Frenzy Underway

NEW YORK(CBSNewYork) -- The Black Friday shopping frenzy is underway.

Cheers rang out when the Toys R Us in Times Square opened its doors on Thanksgiving night, CBS 2's Tracee Carrasco reported.

Workers were on hand to give out shopping bags to throngs of shoppers who waited in the cold.

At a Target in Hackensack, N.J. folks bundled up and braved the bitter wind chill for a shot at early deals.

Thousands of die-hard shoppers ran through the doors at Macy's Herald Square store which was open on Thanksgiving for the first time in its 155 year history, 1010 WINS' Roger Stern reported.

Carol Pando and her family skipped their traditional Thanksgiving dinner to wait on-line at Macy's where the deals were too good to pass up.

"They have coupons so I use my coupons. I love coupons," she said.

Gone are the days of waiting until Black Friday to start shopping. Macy's said that the decision to open on Thanksgiving was driven by interest from customers like Michelle Sylvester who prefer to shop early.

"I'm working on Black Friday, so I decided to come early and get the shopping over and done with," Sylvester said.

In Jersey City, a line wrapped around a Best Buy where shoppers awaited the store's 6 p.m. opening. Shaliek Jenkins was first in line and braved the frigid temperatures in hopes of finding a T.V.

"It's a present for my mom so I'm making a sacrifice for today," he said.

Jenkins has been in line since Wednesday night even though he doesn't agree with stores being open on Thanksgiving.

"Thanksgiving is supposed to be time with your family, but you have all these people who don't want to spend time with their family who come and shop," he said.

There has been some backlash against many stores opening on Thanksgiving Day but shoppers in Jersey City only seemed concerned with savings.

"The deal is good and that's what brought me out here," La Shawn West said.

However, not everyone in the huge shopping crowds was in the holiday spirit. As WCBS 880's Jim Smith reported, bargain hunters and retailers need to remain vigilant.

A survey by the National Retail Federation found that more than 93-percent of retailers were victims of organized retail crime and that confrontations are getting more violent.

thieves have also been known to break into cars when owners leave presents displayed in the back seat or could swipe them from the hand of unsuspecting shoppers as they walk through mall parking lots.

Stores that chose to remain closed on Thursday included The Apple Store, Costco, and Nordstrom.

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• Black Friday
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