The first eager Black Friday shoppers emerged Wednesday afternoon in Washtenaw County, staking their place in line outside a Best Buy before it opens early Friday morning.
Ann Arbor resident Jackie Berg and her sons, Jesse Morris and T'ontaye Jones, both 15-year-old Huron High School students, pitched a tent at the Best Buy off Ann Arbor-Saline Road around 2 p.m. Wednesday. Best Buy opens at 12 a.m. Friday morning.
T'ontaye Jones, Jesse Morris and Jackie Berg are camping outside Best Buy in Pittsfield Township to get the first Black Friday deals.
Lizzy Alfs | AnnArbor.com
The reason: to buy three 40-inch Toshiba televisions for $179 each.
"I heard a lot of people will start camping tonight around 9 o'clock and by morning, the line is wrapped around the corner," Berg said. "If you're going to come and camp out, you might as well make sure you're the first person in line."
Berg said this is their first year camping out for Black Friday, but she said the great deal combined with the good weather forecast made it a "once in a lifetime" opportunity.
"I figure it's not something I'd do every year, but I'd try it out. We'll see how it goes," she said.
The family pitched a tent and they have cards, cell phones, a portable DVD player and an iPod. They also have a battery to charge the electronics.
As for food, Berg said they're all set: "We have lots of snacks. We got some McDonald's and I think we're going to be ordering Jets Pizza from across the street."
"Tomorrow, we'll still get our Thanksgiving dinner. (My family) will be delivering it tomorrow after they eat."
Best Buy, which was bustling with shoppers Wednesday evening, is a popular Black Friday destination. Last year, about a dozen tents were erected at the store by 9 a.m. on Thursday. Hundreds of people were in line by the time the store opened at 12 a.m. Friday.
Best Buy is located in the same shopping center as Kohl's, Big Lots and Dick's Sporting Goods. A security car was circling the shopping center's parking lot Wednesday afternoon.
Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at 734-623-2584 or email her at lizzyalfs@annarbor.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lizzyalfs.