Business & Tech

Black Friday Video: Before Midnight, Deal Seekers Waited Patiently

While people waited in line for Black Friday to arrive at midnight, many said they enjoyed the experience.

At retail stores throughout the Tri-Valley Thanksgiving Night, people waited in anticipation for stores to open in hopes of grabbing a great deal.

While some retail stores, like Walmart and Target, opened Thursday, most stores waited until the clock struck midnight Friday morning before offering their best prices of the year.

This relatively new American tradition might make some reminisce for when the Friday after Thanksgiving was simply a day to digest the meal from the night before, but for many of those standing in line, Black Friday wasn't just a a day for great deals — it was an event.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

At the Best Buy in Dublin, the line had hundreds of people by 10:30 p.m. With the line zigzagging, it looked more like a line for a popular roller coaster at an amusement park than one for an electronics store.

At the front of the line was Maribel Miranda. The 30-year-old had set her spot in line at 6 p.m., on Wednesday. She wasn't by herself, about a dozen family members joined her and took shifts to secure their spot in line.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

Miranda, who did race to two family Thanksgiving dinners before returning to line, said she waited so long because of the great deals and that Black Friday had turned into an event that allowed her to spend a lot of time with her family.

"It's kind of like a family reunion for us out here," Miranda said. "We're out here having fun, making jokes and being together."

With Miranda was Alexandria Dizikes, 28, who waiting in line for her first Black Friday. She came for the deal, a $300 laptop that usually goes for $600, but she did find the whole exercise a little absurd.

"On one hand, it is Thanksgiving," Dizikes said. "I mean, this is when we should be inside eating, not standing in line."

At Stoneridge Mall, lines filled with mostly teenagers and early 20-somethings lined outside the departments stores waiting for the doors to open at midnight.

The longest line inside the mall was at Victoria Secret, with many saying they wanted to take advantage of a deal on a hoodie and to receive the tote bag.

"We've been out here since 9:30 p.m. and its not been that bad," Nazineen Kandahari, 17, said. "I think it's more reliable to buy to your clothes in person rather than online and when you're out here with your friends it's fun."

Were you out there early this morning? How was your experience? What was your best deal?


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here