Brad Horn, Nevada AppealRachel Armour, left, and her sister Heather Shepardson, both of Novato, Calif., look at advertisements while waiting in line at Best Buy in Douglas County, just south of Carson City, Nev., on Friday morning, Nov. 28, 2008.
Heather Shepardson and Rachel Armour said they got in line last year two hours before Best Buy opened, but they weren't going to make that mistake again.
The sisters got to the store south of Carson City at 9:30 p.m. Thursday with their blankets and sleeping bag so they'd be sure to get the after-Thanksgiving sales they wanted when the doors opened at 5 a.m. Friday.
"It was really quite cozy once we got our tent set up," Armour said.
The overnight stay was worth it in order to be at the front of a line of hundreds of customers waiting for computer and camera deals, said the sisters, who were visiting from Novato, Calif.
"We missed out last year," Armour said a minute before jogging inside the store at 5 a.m.
Despite overall slow sales this year, stores that offered early-morning deals were busy on the day known as Black Friday that starts the holiday shopping season.
Best Buy advertised big sales on electronics; employees at JCPenny gave out free snow globes and Burlington Coat Factory marketed deep fryers, candle holders and crock pots for $10.
Customers waiting for Target to open at 6 a.m. got store maps to help them find sales.
Anthony Sandoval of Carson City said he went to Best Buy around 2:30 a.m. to get an Xbox and four games for the price of just an Xbox.
This was his first year shopping early because he's had to work the morning shift the day after Thanksgiving at the store the last two years.
"The real nice thing about it was that it was kind of laid back," he said leaving the store a few minutes after 5 a.m.
Joe Fontanez stood near the front of the line at Target shivering with his arms inside his sweatshirt when the store turned on its sign at 5:30 a.m.
He said everyone had been "pretty cool" since he got there at 4:30 a.m., but he wasn't doing any more shopping after he bought a camera on sale.
"My girlfriend's making me do it," he said, "so I better do it."
This was the 10th year that Dale Zusi and her 16-year-old daughter, Jackie Zusi-Russell, went shopping early the day after Thanksgiving.
They went to stores like JCPennys in Carson City this year instead of going to Reno because of the slow economy. The were still able to have what Dale Zusi called "the fun of being out in the crowds," however.
"It kind of kicks off the Christmas season for us," she said. "Thanksgiving ends the fall season and this starts the winter season."
- Contact reporter Dave Frank at dfrank@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.