Shoppers hit the aisles early this morning looking for deals and stores were eager to oblige with coupons and doorbuster sales to help kickoff the holiday season.
The East River Plaza was a flurry of frenzied shoppers with people lining up as early as 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving afternoon to catch the best deals at Target, Best Buy and Old Navy.
Spaha Cafe, a local healthy eatery and coffee shop helped to fuel the overnight crowds with their famed hot cocoa. Spaha owner, Tika Fotoglidi wrangled up a little extra entertainment for weary consumers with the Latin rhythm trio, Caja Dura, who banged out beats on their bongos and djembes from 2:30 a.m. until about 6 a.m.
John Bligen, 21, of the Lower East Side said he nabbed the first spot in line by getting there at 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.
“I just came for me – this is a present for myself. The savings make a big difference, a person like me can’t actually afford one of these,” said the unemployed carpenter. Bligen was one of the lucky few to land a deal on the Westinghouse 40″ LCD TV, which was on sale for $299 but normally retails for about $500.
He didn’t miss out on the big family dinner either.
“My stepmother made Thanksgiving dinner early so I could get a plate and then family members were bringing me plates while I was here,” he said.
Whitney Ray, 24, and her friend, Robyn Johnson, 23, got in line for Target at 11 p.m., both hoping for big savings. They each bought the same items, including Black and Decker Toaster Ovens on sale for $19 from $30 and steeply discounted TV’s. Overall, each spent about $2,000 and saved about $600 and walked away with two overstuffed carts of items.
“If it looked good, I bought two,” Johnson said. “We already have a toaster – I don’t know where I’m going to put this stuff. I bought some of it for my mom, but mostly it’s for me.”
Retailers like Old Navy and Lord and Taylor had most of their merchandise significantly marked down, with discounts ranging from 25 percent to 50 percent off. Bed Bath & Beyond offered 20 percent off an entire purchase before 10 am while Lord and Taylor was handing out $20 off coupons for any purchase of $40 or more.
Cousins Andre Sanchez, 23, and Raphael sanchez, 25, had been camped out at the Union Square Best Buy since noon on Tuesday.
“All I wanted was this laptop,” Andre said, after buying a Sony Vio for $399, a savings of $300. “It felt like the gates of heaven opened up when Best Buy opened up.”
Raphael bought a 32-inch Samsung TV for his mom and a Nintendo Wii for himself for $435 and also saved $300.
“I felt anxious to get in but once I got up there I was warm and excited,” Raphael said.
Best Buy gave die-hard shoppers like the Sanchez cuosins complimentary scarves, coffee and cupcakes to get them through the night.
Jose Bonatto, 25, was visiting from Brazil and grabbed an internet router for $60 at Best Buy. Earlier in the morning, Bonatto passed fans who were lined up for Justin Bieber’s afternoon performance at Barnes and Noble at 46th Street. “The line to get into Best Buy was longer than the line for the Justin Bieber concert,” he said.
“I didn’t sleep at all last night,” said Ramata Mariko, 32, from the Bronx. She visited her first store, Toys R Us, at midnight and was at Old Navy by 1 am. “Between the two stores I spent well over $200 and saved over $300 on clothing for myself and toys for my son.”
Mariko has already made it to Burlington Coat Factory, her third store, by 4:30 am.
Lord and Taylor gave the day a patriotic ring by playing the national anthem after about 50 shoppers calmly waited in a velvet rope line for the 5 a.m. opening.
“There’s no reason to pay retail anymore,” said Wendy Cohen, 42, of the Upper East Side. “There’s always going to be a sale and I got it this morning. [Lord and Taylor’s] a good store with huge savings once you know when to come and once you have coupons.”
Robin Kassas, 50 and Christie Faith, 24 of Manhattan were waiting outside Burlington Coat Factory at 4:30 following a midnight shopping spree at Forever 21.
“I spent around $500 on clothing for myself and saved about the same amount,” Kassas said.” Both Kassas and Faith dropped their bargains at home and before continuing to Burlington Coat Factory’s 5 am sale. They said they planned to also hit Macy’s, JC Penny and H&M by early afternoon.
Karel Tirtasengadja, 24 and Jonathan Martinez, 27, from Manhattan, were waiting outside Best Buy at 4:45 after standing in line since 1 am. They said Best Buy was their only destination.
Karel said they would then go “straight home to sleep.”
“Black Friday is about opportunity,” said Ethan Smith, 23, of Queens. He began the morning at Target and got to Best Buy around 6 am. “It”s a chance to buy things you’d normally hesitate to buy. You can ball like Donald Trump without having Donald Trump money.”
