OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — It’s tradition for some people to wait outside of department stores hoping to get a great deal on Thanksgiving before Black Friday officially starts.
At the Best Buy in Overland Park at West 119th Street and Metcalf Avenue, a few dozen people stood outside in the rain and chilly temperatures hours before the store opened, followed by hundreds right before opening time.
The first people in line were Johnathan Hansen and his wife. They got there at 10:45 a.m.
"It feels good that she’s first, I’ll be first with her,” Hansen said.
They were hoping to get a TV 58-inch 4k TV for $200.
The deals were too good to pass up for the eager shoppers who stood in line hours before the store open.
"We’re getting a TV almost $400 off, so I think the deals are pretty worth it,” shopper Caden Toomay said.
According to the National Retail Federation, shoppers are expected to spend four percent more this year than last, averaging more than $1,000 per person.
This is also the shortest time in many years between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so retailers are hoping shoppers will spend money in a tighter window.
The doors opened at 5 p.m. at the Best Buy with hundreds inside within the first hour.
