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Bargain hunters camp out to get Black Friday bargains on Thanksgiving
Juan Navarro, left, and Aarya Arghandiwall, right, and others, camp in front of Best Buy in Fairfield Thursday waiting for the store to open at midnight. Navarro and Arghandiwall had been camped there since 11:00 p.m. Wednesday in hopes of getting a deal on a 40-inch television. (Robinson Kuntz/Daily Republic)
FAIRFIELD — It was a bargain Arjun Singh had to have, a 40-inch TV for $179.99. The price was good enough to get him the first spot in line at the Solano Town Center mall’s Best Buy store.
Singh arrived there about 8 p.m. Wednesday. That was after he stopped by the Vacaville Best Buy store to discover there were already about 15 people in line. By 6 p.m. Thursday, there were about 60 people waiting in line at Vacaville store; 25 in Fairfield.
“I don’t have to worry (about getting the TV),” Singh said.
Within a few hours Wednesday he was joined by others, including Richard Wilson, who arrived about 11:30 p.m. He, too, wanted the 40-inch TV.
The night hours passed quickly as Wilson played cards with a friend, chatted with store associates to get the “inside scoop,” and caught a couple of hours of sleep in his car. He even stretched out on top of the concrete wall planter, outside the store.
“That definitely helped with my back,” Wilson said.
Singh had eaten breakfast and was fairly certain his parents would bring him a Thanksgiving dinner. Wilson was hoping for the same.
Ricky Hernandez was among the first 10 in line, even though he didn’t get there until about 9 a.m. Thursday. He and his cousin, Xavier Zubrod, were looking to buy laptops for Christmas gifts.
All knew the ritual well, saying they had done the same the past two or three years.
The mall was closed Thursday to observe the holiday. Sears opened at 8 p.m. to allow people to start their Black Friday shopping. Numerous other mall stores were scheduled to open at midnight Friday, Best Buy among them. A few others were set to open at 2 a.m. The mall’s hours on Black Friday are 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Other major area retailers were to open at 8 p.m. Thursday. A crowd was on hand by 6 p.m. at the Fairfield Walmart, two hours before customers could get into the store. Walmart stores opened at 10 p.m. last year.
Not everything that’s happening at local stores Friday centers on shopping.
The website ForRespect.org lists a number of Black Friday work actions at Walmart stores across the region, including those in Fairfield and Vacaville. The protests are organized through a union-supported group called Organization United for Respect at Walmart.
Reach Amy Maginnis-Honey at 427-6957 or amaginnis@dailyrepublic.net. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/amaginnisdr.
Amy Maginnis-Honey
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