Community Corner

Black Friday Early Birds Start a New Thanksgiving Tradition

The lure of "doorbuster" deals had some standing in line since as early as Wednesday morning.

For Kevin Hall, upholding a Thanksgiving tradition this year meant sacrificing something else he cares about a lot.

So when Best Buy announced an earlier opening this year, that meant the family dinner had to go.

“I didn’t like it, but this is a tradition for us,” said Hall, standing at the front of the line of the San Rafael’s Best Buy with “Bailey,” his mini Shih Tzu, peeking out of his jacket.

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“We’ve been in this line for like eight years, ever since they opened up” the San Rafael Best Buy store opened.

Hall isn’t alone.

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The 58-year-old Novato man was among hundreds of shoppers waiting outside San Rafael’s Best Buy store ahead of it’s 6 p.m. Thanksgiving opening.

Thousands of others stormed Bay Area big box stores and Malls on Thanksgiving as Black Friday bleeds deeper into “Gray Thursday” from one year to the next.

Some stores, such as Kmart, were open before the turkey made it out of the oven, staying open for nearly two straight days.

Campers pitched tents in front of Best Buy stores throughout the Bay Area this week.

Hall, a medic who also runs a repair business, started camping out at 8:30 a.m. – on Wednesday.

His wife relieved him during the day so he could get to work. Then they traded places at the end of the day, with Hall camping out in front of the Du Bois Street store so his wife could sleep on a real bed.

The reward for a Black Friday marathon wait: A front row seat to “doorbuster heaven.”

“It’s the best place to be, that way you get the best choice of all the different things,” Hall said.

Hall went into the store with a long shopping list. Flat screen TVs. Laptops. Tablets. WiFi routers. Blu Ray players. DVDs.

And perhaps some impulse purchases too?

“Of course,” he said.

Hall has understanding relatives. He says there are no hard feelings for missing that other Thanksgiving tradition.

“I gave them three days notice,” he said.

Turkey, after all, isn’t the only Thanksgiving tradition these days.

“It’s just fun,” he said of the Black Friday shopping tradition.  

“It’s mainly to do it and do something special, but you’re definitely doing it because you’re saving lots of money.”

- Bay City News contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2013 by Bay City News, Inc. -- Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.


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