Black Friday Shopping Starts on Thanksgiving

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK --  Oklahoma shoppers camp outside big box stores on Thanksgiving waiting for Black Friday deals.

"For $200-300 I'm willing to do it," said shopper, Justin Ellerbee.

Ellerbee says he never pictured himself as a Black Friday shopper, but he set up his tent outside Best Buy on Tuesday.

"I thought they were crazy. I told myself I would never do that and then find myself here for the first time," said Ellerbee.

The deals are too good for some to pass up, even if it means missing Thanksgiving dinner.

"You should just schedule your Thanksgiving earlier at noon like I did," said shopper, Emily Hood.

Waiting outside Toys "R" Us on Thanksgiving afternoon is only the beginning of Hood's Black Friday schedule.

"I'm going to Toys "R" Us and then I'm going to Target and then I'm going to Kohl's and then I'm going to JCPenny's and then I'm going to Dick's Sporting Goods," said Hood.

She shops on Black Friday every year. "I saved so much money. I filled up my whole truck. Bed,cab, everything for $400," said Hood.

Toys "R" Us and Sears opened at eight o'clock Thursday night while Target opened at nine o'clock.

Best Buy set it's Black Friday opening for midnight Friday.

Overall, about 17 percent of shoppers plan to take advantage of Thanksgiving hours, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers-Goldman Sachs survey of 1,000 consumers conducted from Nov. 15 to Nov. 18.

Last year, that figure was 16 percent. For Black Friday, traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year, 33 percent intend to shop that day, slightly down from 34 percent in 2011.

Black Friday Shopping Starts on Thanksgiving

Posted: Thursday, November 22 2012, 09:53 PM CST