CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — With the turkey devoured and everyone stuffed from their Thanksgiving feast, holiday shopping season officially is underway.
Lining up on Thanksgiving to score the best Black Friday deals has become an annual tradition for many.
“If you go on the actual Black Friday everything is pretty much gone,” said Morgan Burke.
Early shopping has been part of Burke's Thanksgiving for nearly a decade.
“Honestly, I don't even like Thanksgiving food so it doesn't really make a difference to me if I miss it,” said Burke.
This year, Burke got to La Palmera Mall at around 11 a.m. to be first in line when J.C. Penney opened at 2 p.m.
“I buy all of my little cousins' Christmas gifts, some of their birthday gifts,” said Burke. “I generally buy myself a TV every year.”
TVs were a popular item among those waiting at Best Buy, even if the line was surprisingly short.
At mid-afternoon there were less than a dozen people waiting to get in when the store opened at 5 p.m. Many of them were first-timers when it came to Thanksgiving shopping.
“I've heard everybody talk about it, and I made it my business to be here today,” said Erick Chandler.
Chandler was in line because he's spending the holiday away from home. He thinks this year's shorter lines means more people decided to spend the day with family.
“You've got to weigh the pros and the cons,” said Chandler. “Should I spend time with family that I normally don't see too often, or should I come out here and stand in line and wait for electronics?”
